DARÍO JARA MORANTE

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"Calling Nature: A Dialogue with the Natural World"

 

September 15 - November 18, 2018

 

 

Dario Jara Morante (1972 - ) is a contemporary artist who was born in the city of Cusco, Peru. His artistic life started after leaving school when he tried to find meaning for his own life and future. He'd always been a sketcher without any technical knowledge and didn't have the idea of devoting himself to painting which he saw difficult to develop. Dario initially studied civil engineering for two years but then dropped the program to study art at the School of Fine Arts in Cusco, one of the most prestigious art schools in Latin America.

 

Dario Jara’s career as an artist started at the age of 23. While in art school the struggle of finding himself and pushing himself to improve and innovate drove him to create - together with other peers - a student circle called Abraxas, a group of friends with the same ideas and vision about art and the world. They made three collective exhibitions showing the results of a combination of ideas and encapsulating the passion they had for painting. Dario described this process as ‘go
ing back to nature and its impressions, using them as an excuse for painting in their own individual context’.  After two years of sharing ideas and the bohemian lifestyle Abraxas came to an end. The group remained friends but they set off in different directions to pursue their own individual paths. Dario Jara and his partner (the artist, Karina Loayza) dedicated themselves to continue painting.

 

Dario Jara lives in the center of Cusco. He enjoys painting in his atelier accompanied by his pets, two dogs and a cat. Sometimes they leave paw prints on the not-yet-completed canvases. Jara just laughs and appreciates the ‘artistic’ touch of his loyal companions. Dario Jara is a true devotee of nature. He enjoys long walks with his dogs over the vast and beautiful landscapes that surround Cusco, visiting Inca ruins and observing the changes in the landscape and environment: rain, snow, wind, storms, the different seasons, and the ‘behavior’ of the sun: one day soothing, but the next day severe and unrelenting. This idea is reflected in his painting “The Sun”, a self-portrait where his face is reflecting the sun while undulant waves surround his whole body as a connection, as self-love, as an interpretation of continuity.

 

 Dario Jara's art is described as art without a name, the art of today, which he simply refers to as contemporary. His indigenous roots and connection with the earth show through his ideas, having nature as a powerful source of inspiration and metaphor. Jara's work is primarily done with oil-based paints, however, he uses and experiments with other materials, including natural pigments and pastes to get a unique or specific look.

 

Jara’s art is always a struggle against commercial art, his base in Cusco is filled with tourists from all over the world, always looking for local souvenirs related to the times of the Inca empire or Spanish colonialism. However, the lack of art galleries dedicated to modern art in the city drove him to look elsewhere to exhibit his work. Despite this Jara continues to work from Cusco the beautiful scenery and landscapes his constant inspiration.

 

In this exhibition “Calling Nature: A Dialogue with the Natural World", OLA Gallery & Atelier presents two moments in the life of the artist: the first one is called Figures, here Jara has progressed from the days of just sketching to finding and exploring his form as an artist. To explore the human form in different situations. Contrast and occupation of space with ondulant lines translated as energy and connection. These studies are essentially the missing link in Jara's quest to find his own style. Is an immersive exhibition that explores the profound connection between human beings and the environment through the lens of 'calling.' This unique exhibition delves into various aspects of nature's call, inviting visitors to engage with art, and culture to better understand our relationship with the natural world. 

 

The second moment is called Metaphors, here Dario Jara looks back to nature and reflects on what he literally sees, giving it a symbolic meaning, unity, connection, and transition. He manifests nature as the main theme and as the force that claims the artist in order to create powerful images.

 

In this exhibition, we present an artist who gives to the beholder a material world that translates the voice of what he sees, has a name, and expresses itself in different patterns. An artist who considers himself as one tiny part of “an everything” and places on the canvas layer by layer the most powerful and beautiful force. The call of nature.