Francisco Troconis and Gary Culbertson, owners of Contemporaneo Gallery, have added several works by South American contemporary artist Gabriel Soifer to the gallery’s permanent collection. They were first introduced to Soifer’s work by his son, Matias, who visited the gallery and started talking with the owners about his father’s work. Inspired by the conversation, the owners did their own research into Soifer. “We found a polifacetic artist that explores different media, with a free style, flowing from big public installations in South America, to architectural sculptures, to innovative optical art pieces,” says Troconis. “Like all our artists, he embodies innovation, a wide range of work and an aesthetic virtuosity that makes his work appealing and exciting.”
Gabriel Soifer, artist
Soifer has little in the way of academic artistic training, though he studied for several years with Master Jorge Gamarra. “The conductive line of this gallery, and the artists they feature, is in tune with my creative engine,” says Soifer. “We share the axis of the art playing in between natural origins, colors and modern expressions. In particular, my works exhibited are a combination of art from nature, like the butterflies, but also very human and mundane, like the jacket or the books.”
Soifer works in a variety of media, including glass, wood, metal, paint and granite. “I certainly like to experiment with different materials and learn from their advantages,” he says. “I am constantly excited about the idea of producing something fascinating and original, but containing also classic elements. Playing with the two dimensions of a painting and then shifting to a three-dimensional work generating objects with volume that are now sculptures.” A future show at the gallery will highlight Soifer’s additions to the collection.
Contemporaneo Asheville is located at 4 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, visit ContemporaneoGallery.com or call 828.253.0879.
