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Relaxation is the feeling that Mexican artist Álvaro Santiago wants to project with his exhibit of 59 pieces in "Me Rento para Soñar," or "I Rent Myself to Dream," on display through Jan. 9 at Instituto Cultural de México.
This exhibit began in Puebla, México, as an idea to display a form of artwork per day resulting in about 200 original pieces.
Santiago was born in Oaxaca, México, in 1953 and has painted since he can remember.
His studies include the Fine Arts School of the Autonomous University Benito Juárez in Oaxaca in 1966 and La Esmeralda, the Fine Arts School of Painting and Sculpture, in Mexico City in 1975.
Santiago has participated in several exhibits in the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Japan, Australia, Central America and Mexico.
The institute considers him a multifarious artist for using various techniques.
Santiago works in six disciplines, including painting, drawing, sculpture, objects, applied art and book illustrations.
"My creative work process is very simple," he said in Spanish when asked about his inspiration.
Angelina Pliego, president of Cultura, Unión y Tradición in San Antonio, said Santiago has a personal and geometric style.
"I love the colors and love what he is transmitting," Pliego said in Spanish. "His work is very 'relaxed.'"
The exhibit is a collection of seven paintings on canvas, nine art objects of recycled material, eight original drawings on paper, eight ceramics or talaveras, 10 engravings and 17 book illustrations.
Each artwork is a "visual story" rather than a "predetermined sketch," Santiago said.
Santiago is also known for making "recycled art."
Some people would consider his materials trash, but for him, it is his raw materials.
"I like to experiment and draw with what I can on what I can find," Santiago said.
When he feels mad or sad, Santiago said, he cannot work.
"For me, it is a joy and comfort," he said.
If a person wants to become a painter, Santiago said, that person should "work a lot, paint a lot and not give up."
Santiago's works are on display along with 20 mixed media artworks from "Homenaje a Alberto Mijangos," a tribute to the Mexican artist Alberto Mijangos.
Mijangos (1925-2007) was the first director of the institute and founder of the art school and gallery Salon Mijangos in San Antonio, 1906 S. Flores St.
He studied in the San Carlos Art Academy in Mexico City and in the Art Institute of Chicago.
The exhibit can be seen at the Instituto Cultural de México, 600 HemisFair Park, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, call 227-0123.
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