Dear art lovers,
We kindly invite you to come and enjoy the new solo exhibition of René Tosari, opening in Readytex Art Gallery, on May 2. For his new exhibition, Tosari, a visual artist with an extensive oeuvre and an established art career in Suriname as well as the Netherlands, gives the lead to his urge to experiment and a totally intuitive process of creation. Unencumbered by any sense of expectation or limitation, he quite appropriately names his exhibition: RELEASE. Liberated from dogmas.
In his new exhibition, René Tosari does indeed display a collection of works in which experimentation was critical to his creative process. This was however not a condition that he rigidly imposed upon himself, as that in itself would have implicated a set of rules or limitations, which was exactly what he was seeking to avoid. As it has been for many years now, the one thing that René Tosari aspires to, is for his work to constantly grow and develop. He remains on the alert, and tries to avoid giving in to automatism and repetition. A short poem once written for him by Michaël Slory and subsequently included in one of his paintings, serves as an important motivating factor: “Captured in own words, satisfying the totem no longer, Burst open, and become pregnant of a new time”. And while his signature style and unique texture achieved by combining acrylic and oil paint, remains recognizable, the imagery presented in Tosari’s new exhibition is undeniably diverse.
Quite noticeable for example are a number of works in which futuristic AI inspired figures take central positions, sometimes accompanied by more familiar or natural worldly elements. They confirm Tosari’s conviction that artists have a unique view on life and of the world, often looking ahead and using what they observe all around them to imagine or visualize certain aspects of our future. In other paintings the artist does seem to revert back to some of his former, more socially engaged visual imagery that highlighted specific cultural, political and social issues, like from his ‘Waka Tjopu’ days for example. Other works deal with topics like nature, culture and the environment, female figures and indistinct hybrid faces often recurring throughout the collection. “Every work has a story” says René Tosari. But not every work begins with a predefined story. While some are, as he calls them, ‘programmed’, based on a chosen idea or subject, others take shape completely organically, layer upon layer gradually determining the final composition. The stories are then more abstract and illusive, floating mysteriously within the compositions like fragments of memories or thoughts, purposely outlined and connected to each other yet again by lines, challenging the viewer to form their own interpretation and to find their own story within.
RELEASE. Liberated from dogmas opens in Readytex Art Gallery on Thursday, May 2, at 7:30 pm. The exhibition is on display until Saturday, June 29, during the regular opening hours of the gallery, from Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm.
You and your guests are most welcome!
Team Readytex Art Gallery