FREDY LEIVA

Born in 1992 in Bronx, NY. Lives and works in Manhattan.

“In painting I’ve always naturally gravitated towards the line. The line serves me as a starting point that allows me to investigate the intersection between drawing and painting. In my latest work I pursue this further into sculpture, and seek to explore the material limits of paper. This is reflected both aesthetically and in my technique, in the materials I use and how I apply them onto the surface. I manipulate the paper first by carefully destroying it with my hands and then I rebuild it by creating a skeletal structure through collaged paper. The result is a 3 dimensional sculptural object with a textured and layered surface. My paintings always begin with abstract and very physical gestures, such as Jean Dubuffet’s Hourloupe cycle and the paintings of the COBRA artists. I draw inspiration from the native art of ancient civilizations and prehistoric origin myths. My recent paintings are about the paradox of emptiness that at once unites us and divides us. I seek to express the contrast between being and emptiness, as a reflection of life and by using the blackest and mattest paint possible”.