The art of Rudy Calderón always surprises the viewer. His media changes from
painting to stone-carving at a whim. The artist’s vibrant color palette explodes across
his two-dimensional work, saturating form with intense, brilliantly colored shadings
and articulations. Yet his sculptural work forgoes any coloring nature did not provide,
emphasizing a release of form from within the confines of stone. The natural state of
these creations subtly suggests a divine creation.
But Calderón does not stand before his art as a god or other divine being. He is a
facilitator of presence, a transformer. He does not give his images life as much as he
transports the life already within the tubes of color onto a painting’s surface, or
transmutes an already-existing body from its stone prison. The difference between
mad genius and devoted craftsman is one of ego alone. This is one artist whose devotion
to presentation is a humble vocation, to serve rather than aggrandize his intensely
passionate vision.
Matt Gleason
Editor: Coagula Art Journal
Biography
RUDY CALDERON
Born: San Jose, Costa Rica, August 1st, 1957
Address: 417 W. Harding Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754
Tel.: 626-307-9488
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1997: 'Art Cabaret' - The IMPROVisation Comedy Night Club, Los Angeles, Ca.
1996: 'Love's Transcedence' - Granados II Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
1995: Hollywood Digital, Hollywood, Ca.
1994: 'Las Obras de Rudy Calderón - Costa Rican Consulate, Los Angeles, Ca.
1993: 'Aesthetic Rituals' - EZTV, West Hollywood, Ca.
1988: 'Paintings' - Nosotros, Hollywood, Ca.
1981: 'Paintings' - American Savings, Whittier, Ca.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
"IVth International Festival of Snow and Ice Sculpture" - Perm, Russia
"Rock the World" - Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteaméricano - San Jose, Costa Rica
"Dia de Los Muertos" - The Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, Ca.
"Visiones Lejanas-Artico 97" - El Museo de los Niños, San Jose, Costa Rica
"Hodge Podge" - Spanish Kitchen Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"L.A. Slide" - The Living Room, Santa Monica, Ca.
Festival de la Frontera 97 - El Museo del Chamizal, El Museo del I.M.P.E., Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Festival de la Frontera 97 - Mexican Consulate, El Paso, Texas
Self Help Graphics Prints - Los Angeles County Museum of Art Sales & Rental Gallery
"Saber Escultura/Sculptural Savvy" - Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Now Be Here" - Granados II Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Beloved Chicana" - Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Across the Street-Self Help Graphics and Chicano Art in L.A." -
Texas Art Museum, Corpus Christi, Texas
"Across the Street-Self Help Graphics and Chicano Art in L.A." - Anchorage, Alaska
Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana/Azapotzalco, Mexico D.F., Mexico
"Down and Under" - Jose Galvez Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
"Across the Street-Self Help Graphics and Chicano Art in L.A." -
Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, Ca.
"Hugging Angels" - (Performance Directed by Ictae Rhee), Unity Arts Center, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Across the Street-Self Help Graphics and Chicano Art in L.A." -
UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Ca.
Self Help Graphics Prints - Amerika Haus Berlin, U.S. Cultural Center, Berlin, Germany
San Xenxo - Pontevedra, Spain
'FAR Bazaar' - Los Angeles, Ca.
The Ambassadors of Art Gallery, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Pasadena, Calif.
Granados II Gallery - Los Angeles, Ca.
"Dark City Lights" - Granados II Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Best of the West" - Zero One Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Voces/Voices" SHG Prints - Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, Ca.
"Fusion '93" - Pauline Hirsh Gallery, Jewish Council Federation, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Masa'93 - L.A. Internationale" - El Pueblo Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Los Angeles Recovery Workshop" - El Pueblo Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Multi-Cultural Art Exhibit" - Shizuoka, Japan
Galeria de Almacen de Fujikyo - Numazu, Shizuoka, Japan
"Murals in Motion" - Self Help Graphics, Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, Ca.
"From El Corazon de East L.A. - The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, Illinois
"Inter-View" - Free Gallery, St Petersburg, Russia
"Four Sculptors" - Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Images From The Border" - Los Angeles, Ca. Tijuana Mexico, El Centro, Mexico,
"Quincentenial Monoprints" - Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, Ca.
"FAR Bazaar" - Los Angeles, Ca.
"Barcelona Bound" - Palmetto Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Stations That Strive" - Hollywood First Presbyterian Art Gallery, Hollywood, Ca.
"Day of The Dead Show" - Echo Park Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Dia de Los Muertos" - Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Group Show" - Barakat Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca.
"Environmental Revelations" - Little Pedro's Restaurant, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Todas las Razas" - Barbara Mendes Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"3rd Annual Studio Artists Show" - Palmetto Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Natural Forces: In Los Angeles Sculpture" - Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Self Help Graphics: The Atelier Program Retrospective" - Bridge Gallery, City Hall
Los Angeles, Ca.
"Best of the West" - Zero-One Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Fire Show VII" - Galeria Otra Vez, (Self Help Graphics), Los Angeles, Ca.
"Brandywine Workshop" - Brandywine Institute, Philadelphia, PA
"Semana de Cultura Chic: Aztlan en Mexico" - Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades de la UNAM, Mexico City
"Hispanic Art on Paper" - Los Angeles County Museum of Art
"Works on Paper" - B-1 Gallery, Santa Monica, Ca.
"Fire Show VI" - Galeria Otra Vez, (Self Help Graphics)
"Pintura Fresca" - Galeria Otra Vez, (Self Help Graphics)
"Latino & Chicano Artists" - Gensler & Associates, Century City, Ca.
The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, Illinois
"Guadalupe Art Auction" - Denver, CO
"5 From E.L.A." - Rex Wignall Museum Gallery, (Chaffee College, Cucamonga, Ca.)
"Cinco de Mayo" - William Grant Still Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
"Fire Show V" - Galeria Otra Vez, (Self Help Graphics)
"Atelier X" - Galeria Otra Vez, (Self Help Graphics)
"Presenting L.A. Works" - Galeria Sin Fronteras, Austin, Texas
'Self Help Graphics Atelier Prints' - Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
'East Los Streetscapers: Individual Expressions' - The Art Store Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.
'Fire Show IV' - Galeria Otra Vez, (Self Help Graphics)
'Sangre Nueva' - Centro de La Raza, San Diego, Ca.
'Art on the Inside' - Curated & exhibited, L.A. Central Juvenile Hall, Los Angeles, Ca.
'Mystic Art' - Art's Building, Pomona, Ca.
'Art on the Inside' - Curated & exhibited, L.A. Central Juvenile Hall
ART CONSULTANT/CURATOR
1994 - 1998
Art Advisor and Curator for the Los Angeles Consulate General of Costa Rica.
INTERVIEWS:
Canal Cultural de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica -
TV interview on 'Rock Your World' exhibit, Nov. 1998.
"North from Mexico" - interview for television cultural magazine of Mexico City, 1998.
La Republica - Costa Rican newspaper concerning the exhibit 'Visiones Lejanas', Nov. 1997.
"Vista L.A." - ABC Channel 7, interview on the exhibit "Chicana Beloved."
Emerging Artist Profile - Rudy Calderón' - Coagula Art Journal, February, 1996.
"Arte Without Walls" - Buenavision Cable, Feb. 28th, 1994
NBC News, on the trip and exhibit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 27th 1992.
"East L.A. After Dark" - Buenavision Cable, Feb. 20th & March 6th, 1991.
"L.A. Art" - by Angelica Gonzalez, shown at Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
Feb.-April 1989 & Public Access Cable.
"Muralismo Chicano" - ECCO television program, shown worldwide in 1988.
Mt. San Antonio College, Associate Arts : Fine Art 1977-80
Cal. State Los Angeles, Fine Art Major 1984-87
East Los Streetscapers: Mural Assistant, 1985-87
Altar Workshop - East Los Angeles YMCA, Feb. 19th, 1994
Dia de Los Muertos Art Workshop - Los Angeles Music Center, Oct. 30th, 1993
Los Angeles Recovery Workshop - El Pueblo Gallery, Dec. 1992
Sculpture Instructor - Pico Rivera Center for the Arts
SLIDE PRESENTATION - ART TALK
"Across the Street-Self Help Graphics and Chicano Art in L.A." -
UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Ca.
RUDY CALDERON
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