Joe Rivera’s first solo: Old photographs, new paintings, July 24-30
Joe Rivera’s first solo: Old photographs, new paintings, July 24-30
Joe Rivera with his paintings
PHOTO: PATTY RIVERA
Beyond Images | First solo art exhibit of Joe Rivera
TORONTO—An emerging artist from the Filipino Canadian community seeks to give Torontonians a new take on his immigrant and socio-political experience in Beyond Images, an art exhibit that will run July 24-30 at Ben Navaee Gallery.
Canadian artist Joe Rivera has painted from Ingmar Bergman’s moving snapshots of women and their reflections on the mirror, to early 20th century autochromes, and to much earlier sepia and black and white photos of American colonial rule in the Philippines during the 1900s.
Rivera says he wants to provide a creative introspection through contrasting, irreverent, and random takes on what give shape and form to the powerful messages behind photographs.
“What interests me most are old photographs, really-very-old ones that have a certain narrative or story to tell,” says Rivera. “This is what inspired me to paint, to revisit the stories behind old photographs and relate that narrative through the medium of acrylic or oil on canvas.”
Rivera hopes that his paintings from photographs with their haunting and poignant stories to tell—from highly personal yearnings to social and political dreams and wishes—could give a fresh perspective to the immigrant experience in Toronto, the adopted city he now calls home.
BEYOND IMAGES: July 24-30, Ben Navaee Gallery (www.bennavaeegallery.com) 1107 Queen Street East, Toronto; tel:416-999-1030; Hours: 1-5pm daily.
About the artist: Joe Rivera
Joe Rivera is not your ordinary painter or artist.
Rivera accomplished his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer when he enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School in the late 1980s, after migrating from the Philippines. He parlayed his legal skills in representing the poor, refugees and new immigrants and their families, influenced largely by his stint at Parkdale Legal Community Clinic for a semester of immersion in poverty law. Having been called to the bar at a later age, it was understandable that he would leave his practice early.
Upon retirement, Rivera turned to blogwriting and commenting on social and political issues about his adopted city of Toronto and his native homeland.
Later, he took lessons in drawing and painting. Little did he know it would become his new calling in life.
Rivera started painting on large canvases right after completing his art course, and exhibited his works wherever he found a welcoming place to hang them. He has mounted his earliest paintings at the Flying Pony Coffee and Art Gallery on Gerrard Street, exhibited a few of his works as part of the Akdaan 2 book launch at Bendale Public Library on Danforth Avenue, and lately, has shown some of his works at the Ben Navaee Art Gallery on Queen Street East. He is a member of the Don Valley Art Club and ArtWorks Oakville.
This is Rivera’s first solo exhibit of his collection of works completed from December 2014 to date. (Press Release)
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