José Antonio Hernández-Díez
Encyclopedia
Jose Antonio Hernandez-Diez (1964, Caracas
, Venezuela
) is a South American artist who works with sculpture
, photography
and installation art
. He currently lives and works in Barcelona
, Spain
and Caracas
, Venezuela
.
. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented since 1991 in São Paulo
, New York
, Madrid
and Caracas
, among many others. Hernández-Díez also had a major retrospective exhibition that travelled to a number of museums including the New Museum in New York
, SITE Santa Fe and the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Palm Beach, Florida
from 2002 to 2003.
Hernández-Díez is part of a new generation of Venezuelan artists who emerged in the late 1980s. He uses "street" materials such as skateboards, sneakers, record players and other audio equipment and bicycles in order to develop a personal iconography centered on familiar, often domestic, objects. The ordinary is made extraordinary through Hernández-Díez’s provocative, darkly humorous use of material and scale. He manipulates the objects, often by physically reconfiguring them in such a way that invests the quotidian with philosophical and emotional resonance. Elements from his Venezuelan childhood are combined with those that reference a more global pop culture.
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) is a South American artist who works with sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and installation art
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
. He currently lives and works in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Biography
Jose Antonio Hernandez-Diez studied at el Centro de Formación Cinematográfica de Caracas. His work has been included in numerous exhibitions, including the 2003 Venice Bienniale and the 1999 Carnegie InternationalCarnegie International
The Carnegie International is the oldest North American exhibition of contemporary art from around the globe. It was first organized at the behest of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on November 5, 1896 in Pittsburgh. Carnegie established the International to educate and inspire the...
. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented since 1991 in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, among many others. Hernández-Díez also had a major retrospective exhibition that travelled to a number of museums including the New Museum in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, SITE Santa Fe and the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
from 2002 to 2003.
Hernández-Díez is part of a new generation of Venezuelan artists who emerged in the late 1980s. He uses "street" materials such as skateboards, sneakers, record players and other audio equipment and bicycles in order to develop a personal iconography centered on familiar, often domestic, objects. The ordinary is made extraordinary through Hernández-Díez’s provocative, darkly humorous use of material and scale. He manipulates the objects, often by physically reconfiguring them in such a way that invests the quotidian with philosophical and emotional resonance. Elements from his Venezuelan childhood are combined with those that reference a more global pop culture.