Artlink Announces the Opening of ‘Bill Dambrova and Fausto Fernandez: Abstract Journeys of Mutation’ in the mood room at Park Central in midtown Phoenix
This is part of a series of recovery exhibitions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bill Dambrova and Fausto Fernandez met while working at the Heard Museum in Phoenix 18 years ago. In 2001, Dambrova moved into his art studio at the Lodge on Grand Avenue in Phoenix, and Fernandez moved into the apartment upstairs shortly after. This provided them with significant time together at their studios, working out their individual voices.
As both artists moved away and then returned to Phoenix, they made their art careers a priority, showing in numerous group exhibitions throughout the Southwest. This is their first curated two-person exhibition. Both are known for making large paintings, so it was a challenge for them to create smaller works for this exhibition. These works can act as sketches for larger pieces and stand on their own as tighter compositions too.
Even though their paintings are very different, Fernandez and Dambrova had a similar methodology to their painting process. Neither sketch or plan a painting. One mark on the canvas leads to the next. The possibility of ruining a piece – with many hours invested – can happen anytime during the process. They both have an intensely driven problem-solving approach, where they thrive on reacting to chaos with ingenuity and humor.
These studio artists also work in public art. They have each been commissions by the City of Phoenix Office or Arts and Culture to design colorful terrazzo floors at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. In 2013, Fernandez designed a 10,000 square foot floor titled Tailplane Patterns, at the PHX Sky Trian Station on 44th Street, and Dambrova is currently in the fabrication phase of a 6,000 square foot floor design, titled From Earth to Sky, at the new Sky Train rental car return station, which is scheduled to open in 2012.
Bio: Bill Dambrova (born 1971) is a native Arizonan and an Arizona State University Graduate with a bachelor of arts in studio art. His love of art, artifacts, and biology led to a career as a museum exhibition designer, where he specializes in natural history museums, zoos, and aquariums. After moving back to Phoenix in 2014, Dambrova began working out of a studio on Grand Avenue and his art practice became his priority. He has shown paintings in local and national art galleries and museums, created public art locally, and designed site-specific works at Burning Man, East Jesus and Meow Wolf.
Bio: Phoenix resident Fausto Fernandez (born 1975) is a mixed media artist whose art practice includes making paintings, public art, and community engagement projects. He received a bachelors of fine arts in graphic design and a bachelor of fine arts in painting from University of Texas in El Paso. Fernandez uses gestural brushwork and intuitive mark-making with fragments of realism in his paintings. Everyday objects, diagrams of technology, and technical instructional materials are used as design elements and metaphors for ritual that provide direction in modern life.
This exhibition was originally curated by Wendy Raisanen, the Curator of Exhibitions and Collections for Scottsdale Public Art. It was scheduled to be at the Scottsdale Public Library from April 6-June 30, 2020. It is the second installment of the Recovery Exhibition series organized by Artlink for the mood room at Park Central in midtown Phoenix.
Open House
Where: mood room, 3121 N. 3rd Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85013
When: Saturday, August 15, 12 to 9:30 p.m.
Please Note: In keeping with local and national health recommendations for re-opening businesses we are taking the strictest precautions to sanitize our facilities and provide on-site guidelines for social distancing and other measures. We ask that you please join us in fighting the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask to openings and observing current social distancing guidelines or six feet or more. We will be putting work online for those who would like to view it from home and we are open during the week as well as by appointment for those who want to have private viewings. The mood room has plenty of room to practice safe social distancing but we are limiting patrons who visit the video project room upstairs to 2 per viewing at this time. We will regulate access during regular gallery hours and we ask for your understanding and continued support in keeping our community healthy and safe.
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About Artlink Inc.
Artlink keeps the arts integral to our development by connecting artists, businesses, and the community. Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by artists in 1989, the Artlink name is a guiding principle for the organization as it supports the stakeholders of the arts and culture community, amplifying its collective strength. Visit artlinkphx.org
About mood room
The mood room is a new gallery concept by Artlink, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, that seeks to address the needs of 21st century artistic practice. More than just an exhibition venue, the mood room is an interdisciplinary art space that was founded in 2020 via a partnership with Park Central and with support from Flinn Foundation and the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. Located in midtown Phoenix, the mood room aims to connect the services that Artlink provides to artists, art venues and partner organizations while supporting cultural creatives through new opportunities to exhibit, engage and grow the influence of their art practice.
