On View Magazine 07-09.2015 | Page 73

GREEN MACHINE: The Art of Carlos Luna formulating an iconography that is deeply personal and, at the same time, universal. In a sense, Luna’s painted memories remain the only viable link to his homeland—serving collectively as his scrapbook, diary, and memoir. Carlos Luna was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, in 1969. Possessing a strong spirit, and an unquenchable desire for personal growth as an artist, he left Cuba in 1991 and migrated to Mexico, where his career entered a new phase of exploration and growth. After receiving a US EB-1-1 visa for extraordinary ability in 2001, Luna migrated to Miami along with his wife and three children. The art community has embraced his work with great enthusiasm since his arrival in the US in 2002. Carlos Luna’s work has been exhibited alone or as part of a collection in more than 25 museums and arts institutions around the country and is highly regarded by curators and critics alike. His exile has expanded his opportunities for exposure to a wider world audience and allowed his work to be judged in a broader arena. His successes are noteworthy as measured by a growing list of solo museum exhibitions, including Pablo Picasso Ceramics / Carlos Luna Paintings, a joint exhibit showcasing his work alongside that of Picasso at NSU Art Museum / Fort Lauderdale; the Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA; Miami Beach’s Bass Museum of Art; the American University Museum, Washington, DC; and Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL; among others. On View OnV i e w Ma g a z i n e . c om • Opposite: Mr. C.O.Jones, 1012, mixed media on paper on wood, 59 x 47”, Private collection. Below: Grr-Miauu, 2015, mixed media on paper on wood, 38 x 48”, Private collection. J u ly /S e p t e m b e r 2015 73