Whole Artist: Gabriel Villa
Gabriel Villa
Whole Artist Dinner
Chef Efrain and Trevor Martin respond to the work of Gabriel Villa by using the language of a family style menu and the translation of poetics in the reappearing iconography of Villa’s work.
Here, artist Trevor Martin has joined us and added in a layer of response to this mazy collaboration by taking Villa's iconic visual language and re-defining the poetic and performative use of the dinner napkin. [expand title=Read More…]
Ekphrasis #1: The Visions
A response by Trevor Martin
Ekphrasis comes from the Greek ek (“out”) and phrasis (“speak”); the verbekphrazein means “to proclaim or call an inanimate object by name.” In Greek today, ekphrasis is an “expression.” As a rhetorical device, ekphrasis is an expression from one medium into another by which the essence of the original is defined and described. In doing so, the new work may make a direct relation to the audience through its illuminative liveliness. A work of ekphrasis may enhance the original work of art, as it takes on a life of its own. – adapted from Wikipedia
Trevor Martin Artist Statement
For this project, Vicki and Efrain invited me to respond through text to the work of Gabriel Villa, which I find full of socially astute observations, but also full of magic, mystery , and a uniquely personal symbology. The resulting ekphrastic poem “The Visions” will be printed on dinner napkins and incorporates actual titles of Villa’s paintings, drawings, and prints. Alternating lines of the poem are either lifted directly from Villa’s titles or inspired by this language in an attempt to convey another vision, another glimpse into this complex visual world. Trevor Martin is a Chicago-based artist, educator, and arts administrator. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has shown his work in galleries and performance spaces both locally and nationally.
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[expand title= Gabriel Villa Artist Statement]
Through mostly painting and drawing my goal is to create provocative and poetic depictions of humanity.
Gabriel served as 2005-2011 Director of Yollocalli Arts Reach, a youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art received his MFA from the University of Delaware and a BFA from Corpus Christi State University-Texas A& M. He was recently nominated for the prestigious 3Arts Award in the category of Visual Arts. Villa’s most recent project, The Art of Gabriel Villa, is a 100-page book that depicts Villa’s body of work. The book includes color plates of Villa’s paintings and drawings, and essays by writers, critics, and art patrons, including comments by Fred Camper from The Chicago Reader and Christian Gerstheimer, the curator of the El Paso Museum of Art. Gabriel Villa was born and raised in the El Paso, Texas/ Ciudad Juarez border region and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, where he is an active member of the arts community. [/expand]
The Menu:
- Cocktail: Pera Guera – tequila reposado, fresh pear juice, grapefruit syrup
- Amuse Bouche: Quesadilla – Melted Cheddar, Pickled Carrot, and Oregano Peach Salsa on Mini Corn Tortilla
- Shrimp and Mango Ceviche w/ Cilantro-Citrus Vinaigrette, Avocado Sabayon
- Chicken and Pork Pozole w/ Fresh Cabbage and Tomatillo Shishito Salsa
- Cucumber Tomato Salad w/ Agave, Lime, and Fresh Arbol Chile
- Birria Goat Stew w/ Roasted Carrots, Handmade Flour Tortillas, Tomato Salsa and Cactus Jelly
- Pear Capirotada w/ Lemon Chantilly