"Open Lines" Exhibition Opens at Ch'i Sept. 16, 2005

Ch'i is pleased to announce their first solo exhibition by New York native, Alexis Portilla. Entitled "Open Lines," the show runs from Sept. 16 - Oct. 15, 2005 at the gallery's home located at 293 Grand St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and features paintings and etchings completed by Mr. Portilla since 2002. The public is invited to a reception with Mr. Portilla on Sept 16th from 6 - 9 p.m. and to visit the exhibition during gallery hours: Mon. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Thur-Sun. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) August 17, 2005 -- Ch'i is pleased to announce their first solo exhibition by New York native, Alexis Portilla. Entitled "Open Lines," the show runs from Sept. 16 - Oct. 15, 2005 at the gallery's home located at 293 Grand St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and features paintings and etchings completed by Mr. Portilla since 2002. The public is invited to a reception with Mr. Portilla on Sept 16th from 6 - 9 p.m. and to visit the exhibition during gallery hours: Mon. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Thur-Sun. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.

"Open Lines" marks Aalexis Portilla's summation of the past several years of creative work. The exhibition at Ch'i will serve to allow the public to view this private endeavor. Alexis says of the work encompassed in this exhibition:

"The work in this show was made during the years 2001 to the present. In the studio, a few years isnt a long time, not in a lifetime of art making. Each show represents a small period of creative time within the bigger picture. The specific point where one period ends and another begins is not always clear. A new motif or new vocabulary in the work isnt enough to accurately describe the difference between these crossing bodies. They are as united in their individuality as they are separated by it.

As the human body regenerates every cell about once in seven years, art and time are also being continuously recreated. We are the same (at least we think we are) after the seven years go by, but really whats happened has eluded us completely.

"My hope is that during a particular exhibition, the viewer can see this transition between the two or more bodies of work, in one space, intermingling over time."

Alexis Portilla's exhibition at Ch'i from Sept 16- Oct. 15, 2005 marks his continued exposure with the gallery having appeared in the recent "Summer Heat: Summer Artists' Salon". He has also appeared with the gallery at ArtLa, The AAF Contemporary fair in New Yor and the AAF London fair.

Born in Mexico City in 1965, Alexis Portilla moved to New York in 1970 with his parents. He was enrolled at the High School of Music and Art in New York where his formative associations with visual art were fostered. He received his B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and his M.F.A. from Columbia University in New York City.

In the summer of 1985, he traveled to Venice, Italy with an international group of artists and art historians which proved to be a significant episode of study for him. In the summer of 1991, he lectured on the art and culture of the Asmat People of Irian Jaya (formerly Papua New Guinea) at the American Museum of Natural History. His work, like so many artists, has been influenced by the art of Oceania. Line and symbol are prominent features of his abstract landscapes.

Alexis' paintings and etchings are in the collections of the New York Public Library, Greystone Realty Corp, Odyssey America, Norwest Partners, Godwin, Proctor & Hoar and Milenia among others. He has exhibited throughout the USA most notably in this area at Ch'i, Paradigm, Pop Sustainability and the Anita Shapolsky Gallery. "Open Lines" will run from Sept 16- Oct. 15, 2005 at Ch'i 293 Grand St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. The public is invited to join Mr. Portilla at a reception on Sept 16th from 6-9pm. For more information contact gallery director, Tracy Causey-Jeffery at 718 218 8939 or via email at tracy@qianartspace.com

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