Cuban Queens Exhibition Catalogue

Liz Goldberg

Cuban Queens March 9 - April 16, 2022

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Liz Goldberg

Cuban Queens March 9 - April 16, 2022

Front Cover: Detail of Cuban Queens 5

Cuban Queens 2, 30 x 48 x 2", Oil on canvas

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Installation View, InLiquid Gallery Above (left to right): Cuban Queens 12, Cuban Queens 15, Cuban Queens 11, Cuban Queens 5 Dimensions variable Oil on canvas Cuban Queens Experimental animation Opposite: Detail of Cuban Queens 15 7

CUBAN QUEENS

@ The InLiquid Gallery

by Amy Cook Cuban Queens, an exhibition by Liz Goldberg, explores the archetype of the diva–the empowering, uninhibited woman and the ideas she represents–through vibrant colors, gestural mark-making, and lavishly dressed figures. The works, on view at the InLiquid Gallery from March 10th to April 16th 2022, manifest the energy and vibrancy of the Cuban women that first inspired Goldberg, transforming them into physical and tangible art pieces. Bright red lipstick, smoking cigars, pouty expressions, and exaggerated poses are recurring motifs that unify the body of work and play into the concept and associations behind divaism.

Goldberg uses colors in a striking, yet purposeful way; she taps into the psychology of color and utilizes that to convey the complex personalities of the women within each piece. The vibrant red that engulfs the posed figure in Cuban Queens - Rose Alexander, gives off flamboyant energy. The intensity of the red aligns with the intensity of the mark making, rendering the portrait visually-striking.The figure is the quintessential diva; she reclines while smoking a cigar, gazing past the viewer, and pouting her lips. She is flashy in every sense, yet her expression adds a layer of complexity to her character that would otherwise be overlooked by her attire.

Cuban Queens 5 uses red in a similar fashion; the figures in the space are engulfed by a sea of rich, vibrant red. All elaborately dressed, the women within this space sport colorful garments, makeup, accessories, and updos. With a hand on their hip, and the other bent upward at the elbow and holding a cigar, these women exude a pompous, powerful, and sassy front. Their expressions seem somewhat unphased, gazing out into space and not focused on anyone in particular. The neutral expressions juxtapose the intensity of the outfits they wear in an interesting way, and explores ideas of the internal versus the external.

Because the archetype of the diva is such a complex one, Goldberg sticks to drawing and painting the same groups of figures, in an attempt to find and explore the threads that tie. The short film Cuban Queens, created in collaboration between Goldberg, filmmaker Warren 8

Installation View, InLiquid Gallery Rose Alexander, 47 x 30", Oil on arches printmaking paper Bass, and animator Lowell Boston, brings this repetition to light. Just as flashy and punchy as her paintings, the short film is a visual sensation.

In the film, Goldberg’s live street drawings come to life, flashing and morphing into one another in a rhythmic pattern. Recurring elements become more apparent under the rapid transition and overlap of portrait to portrait; the cigars, the poses, the headwear, the gazes, and the fashion shine through as signifiers of the diva lifestyle.

Fashion plays a major role in the diva archetype, and Goldberg is no stranger to this. Wearable scarves inspired by Cuban Queens and made by fashion designer Jaeyoon Jeong, elevate the artwork and transform the pieces in their own unique way. Goldberg notes that “the scarves add a new dimension to the work as they shift with the light and movement of the individual wearing the garment”, similar to the shifts and changes within her film. Wearable scarves and makeup bags are on display and available for purchase at the show.

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Installation View, InLiquid Gallery Top: Cuban Queens 13 Bottom (left to right): Cuban Queens 2, Cuban Queens 9, 30 x 48 x 2" Oil on canvas Opposite: Detail of Cuban Queens 9 10

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LIZ GOLDBERG Biography Painter, animator, graphic illustrator, Liz Goldberg is a Philadelphia local artist inspired by the interaction between color, dance and fashion. Her exploration of the “Diva”, the bold uninhibited female character that is the focus of her exhibits.

Her graphic works have received national and international recognition from the mid-1980’s. She has collaborated in animated films with filmmaker Warren Bass since 1999. Both are multiple fellowship recepients of the PA. Council on the Arts and have produced films for “Philadelphia Stories” and “Through the Lens” series on Public Television. Their collaborative work has received nine international first place awards and juried recognition in forty festivals in eleven countries.

She is currently teaching Fashion Drawing and Illustration at Pratt Institute, Drexel University, and Moore University. She earned my BFA from York University and her MFA from Pratt Institute. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and abroad. She was represented Amsterdam Whitney in Chelsea, New York and by GallerieChiz in Pittsburgh.

Opposite: Shellie 2, 40 x 30 x 2", Oil on canvas 13

Cuban Queens 13, 30x 48 x 2", Oil on canvas

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CUBAN QUEENS The Experimental Animated Film Liz Goldberg and filmmaker Warren Bass have collaborated with each other on animated films since 1999. Both are fellowship recipients of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts in Film. Each of their joint films requires thousands of sketches and completed drawings. Their collaborative work has received nine international first-place awards and juried recognition in over two dozen festivals in eleven countries. Additional animation for Cuban Queens was provided by Lowell Boston.

Image: Liz Goldberg and Warren Bass

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WARREN BASS Warren Bass is an independent filmmaker and former Chair of Film & Media Arts at Temple University where he teaches directing, cinematography, and advanced workshops in documentary, fiction, and animation as a full professor. He was trained at the Yale School of Drama in directing (with Honors) and at Columbia University in film as their School of the Arts Scholar. He has taught at Yale, NYU, the State University of California, and the American Film Institute.

His artwork has been exhibited at the Smithsonian, the National Academy of Design, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. His film and video productions have been aired on PBS, syndicated television, and cable in the U.S. and on European, Asian, and Australian Television.

Professor Bass is a recipient of both the Great Teacher Award and the Creative Achievement Award from Temple University.

LOWELL BOSTON Lowell Boston is an animator, filmmaker, and college professor who lives in Collingswood, NJ. He attended the University of the Arts as a double major in live-action filmmaking and animation. He earned his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Experimental Animation.

Writing short stories, creating animated and live-action short films, motovlogging, and exploring the new medium of 360-degree camera technology in his spare time, he currently teaches animation at both the University of the Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and Jefferson University. Additionally, he conducts animation and art workshops across the Delaware Valley. His personal and professional work has been shown on WYBE/MiND TV 35 Philadelphia, PA, PhillyCAM, while his independent and collaborative films have been screened in national and international film festivals.

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Cuban Queens 11, 30x 48 x 2", Oil on canvas

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CUBAN QUEENS Garments Liz Goldberg and designer/ tailor Jaeyoon Jeong collaborated to create a small collection of wearable garments inspired by Goldberg's Cuban Queens. The garments fuse Goldberg's vibrant imagery with Jeong's design sense and craftsmanship resulting in dynamic, wearable works of art.

Installation View, InLiquid Gallery Left to right: Cuban Queens Scarf 2 , Cuban Queens Garment 1, Cuban Queens Scarf 1 Dimensions variable, Polyester Opposite: Cuban Queens Scarf 2, 20 x 60", Polyester 20

JAEYOON JEONG Biography Jaeyoon Jeong has been appointed Assistant Professor of Fashion Design. He is a talented and successful designer and his collections have been sold at his New York City retail location and now online. Jaeyoon’s work has been featured in invited fashion shows around the world, and his contemporary women’s and men’s wear stand out for their high-quality fabrics, superb craftsmanship, and striking designs. Jaeyoon is a graduate of the Drexel University master’s program in Fashion Design and has also received a Master’s of Art & Textile from Sungkyunkwan University’s Graduate School of Design in Seoul Korea.

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Installation View, InLiquid Gallery Top: Cuban Queens Scarf 1 20 x 60", Polyester Bottom (left to right): Cuban Queens 10, Cuban Queens 7, 30 x 48 x 2", Oil on canvas Opposite: Detail of Cuban Queens 10 23

Cuban Queens 8, 30 x 48 x 2", Oil on canvas

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InLiquid InLiquid is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to creating opportunities and exposure for visual artists and works with more than 280 artists and designers. It serves as a free, online public hub for arts information in the Philadelphia area. Find out more at www.inliquid.org.

All rotational artworks are available for purchase.

Inquiries for purchases can be directed to Clare Finin at clare@inliquid.org.

Opposite: Shellie 1, 36 x 24 x 2", Oil on canvas

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