NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Jillian Mac Fine Art is bringing the rhythmic art of Brazilian textile artist Rodrigo Franzão to New Orleans for Alma da água (the Soul of Water), an exclusive exhibition that opens Saturday, May 13 with an artist’s reception from 6-9 p.m. The opening marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States.
The opening and reception will take place at the Garden District gallery, located at 3923 Magazine Street, during the Magazine Street Merchant Association’s annual Champagne Stroll, a premier springtime shopping event. Franzão’s exhibition of more than 20 new works will be on display through June 30.
“Rodrigo’s pieces are so unique and have real stopping power. They keep you engaged through the meditative qualities of color and textural movement,” said gallery owner Jill McGaughey. “They are simultaneously serene and stimulating, and an absolute joy to live with.”
Franzão is a contemporary mixed media artist who works mainly with textile elements, creating three-dimensional abstract geometric shapes out of everyday materials. His colorful abstract works in acrylic resin, latex and eco-friendly vegetable papers are mesmerizing meditations on nature and spirituality.
“We human beings are like drops of water longing to reunite with the infinite ocean of our own existence. Our soul is like poetry which, through emotions and experiences, preserves us through the tides of life.
The exhibition The Soul of Water speaks about these two fundamental principles of our nature, Water and Soul, which together architect the beauty of our reality and poetically transport us on an evolutionary journey towards our intangible full contemplation.”
– Rodrigo Franzão
Franzão’s elaborate, highly rhythmic pieces are created by hand-placing each individual piece of material onto a canvas substrate. A dynamic tension is evident between the tangible evidence of hand-work and the overall effect of the abstraction. One element at a time, his artworks emerge as a shimmering field that is never static, giving a sense of organic life and movement.
With degrees in language and visual arts, and a concentration in psychopedagogy, Franzão seeks to synthesize principles from different mediums. His sculptural works evoke emotions through the interplay of color, light, and texture.
Located at 3923 Magazine Street in New Orleans, Jillian Mac Fine Art is a modern art gallery featuring works by international artists including Françoise Gilot, Rolland Golden, Dean Mitchell, Rodrigo Franzão, Steve Martin, David Leslie Anthony, Géza Brunow and others. With twenty-five years of experience, gallery owner Jill McGaughey has managed several New Orleans art galleries including Duque Art Center on Magazine Street, Bryant Galleries and the Vincent Mann Gallery on Royal Street in the French Quarter. She specializes in working with private collectors who have a passion for living with unique artworks.
