Published on October 14, 2020

Lionel Cruet

Floods Aftermath and Other Hurricane Stories is a series of paintings on blue tarps that depict vernacular houses in a landscape were the atmosphere and the ground are treated to make reference on the effect of Hurricanes and heavy floods.

"The most recent paintings are comprised of four, and they were created in 2020. These offer a continuation of the ones from 2015, a new chapter. In this case, the imagery draws attention to brushstrokes that simulate landslides or sinkholes as well as an atmospheric treatment on the superior portion that suggests the cloudy skies. Despite they both have the same title; they reference directly the compelling stories of the loss upon a natural disaster as well open question on what is the future of climate? How can we envision resilience, if we are part of it, and how a new landscape is being created as these events take place? From the material standpoint: Who is the benefactor on the production of these tarps? These are just questions that the artworks aim to open up."

Lionel Cruet born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, lives and works in New York City and San Juan. Cruet received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from La Escuela de Artes Plásticas en Puerto Rico and a Master in Fine Arts from CUNY - The City College of New York, and Masters in Education from College of Saint Rose; was the recipient of the Juan Downey Audiovisual Award in 2013 at the 11th Media Arts Biennale at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile. Cruet uses multiple mediums including experimental digital printing processes, performance, and audiovisual installations to confront issues that concern economics, geopolitics, and technology.

Lionel Cruet, Floods Aftermath and Other Hurricane Stories V, 2020, acrylic and house paint on polyethylene blue tarp, 96 × 72 in; 243.8 × 182.9 cm, © Lionel Cruet, 2020