ESTEBAN DEL VALLE
The Economy Suite
June 1 - 30, 2025
The Economy Suite
June 1 - 30, 2025
Albert Merola Gallery is pleased to present The Economy Suite : a trio of new works by Esteban del Valle.
On the grand scale, the suite sums up the clash between mankind and Nature. How we have removed ourselves from the natural rhythms, only to find ourselves in a numbing existence. In a perverse way we have even altered the behavior of animals by that very remove. Yet even the banded seagull of “Get Away” is free to fly away at will, in marked contrast to the isolated, deadened figure of “Layover” - helpless in a situation where flight is mechanical and controlled, but too frequently unavailable. The icy empty visages of the couple of “Invisible Problems” - generic, seemingly removed from the natural world as well as the greater world around them, oblivious to the chaos unfolding right in front of them are skipping over life like a stone on water skimming the surface of superficiality without ever plunging through. The “Economy” in the title of the suite of course implies that the dynamics of money also alters our behavior and perspective.
It is the mundane quotidian events that we can relate to and identify with: Being stuck in an airport, having birds disrupt our outdoor table, even a ravenous seagull making a move on our ice cream cone. But Esteban brings to them his remarkable facility with whatever medium he is using. There is a feeling of disconnect, of one moment melding into another. Mixed with humor, there is also despair and drudgery and unsettling eeriness. The titles of the work can be interpreted in multiple ways which also adds to our understanding of the artist’s vision.
On the grand scale, the suite sums up the clash between mankind and Nature. How we have removed ourselves from the natural rhythms, only to find ourselves in a numbing existence. In a perverse way we have even altered the behavior of animals by that very remove. Yet even the banded seagull of “Get Away” is free to fly away at will, in marked contrast to the isolated, deadened figure of “Layover” - helpless in a situation where flight is mechanical and controlled, but too frequently unavailable. The icy empty visages of the couple of “Invisible Problems” - generic, seemingly removed from the natural world as well as the greater world around them, oblivious to the chaos unfolding right in front of them are skipping over life like a stone on water skimming the surface of superficiality without ever plunging through. The “Economy” in the title of the suite of course implies that the dynamics of money also alters our behavior and perspective.
It is the mundane quotidian events that we can relate to and identify with: Being stuck in an airport, having birds disrupt our outdoor table, even a ravenous seagull making a move on our ice cream cone. But Esteban brings to them his remarkable facility with whatever medium he is using. There is a feeling of disconnect, of one moment melding into another. Mixed with humor, there is also despair and drudgery and unsettling eeriness. The titles of the work can be interpreted in multiple ways which also adds to our understanding of the artist’s vision.
Other available work by Esteban del Valle:
