Costa Rica

Artist: Osvaldo Orias Arguedas

*1967 San José/Costa Rica

1987 Studies of graphic arts, Academy of Arts of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), San José, graduated with 'Distinction'

1995-1999 Studies at the Düsseldorf College (Fachhochschule), art history and design, main focus on visual communication

since 1989 several exhibitions

Interpretation

"Bear in tropical summer night" is the image of a bear that doesn't only dream of wandering through a Caribbean landscape, but wants to transform itself into this landscape. The landscape is a personal interpretation of the excessive nature of Costa Rica and its richness of forms and colours.

Thus I'm trying to initiate a symbolic-playful exchange between the two world regions. The landscape is painted on a bear. At the same time this bear is wandering through this landscape, my inner landscape.

We Costa Ricans are children of the sun and have a partly pre-Hispanic, partly Afro-Caribbean cultural tradition, which has its origins in tropical affluence and diversity. The sunlight covers everything in colours, therefore colours and energy are so important for this work.

Through the colours I'd like to represent day and night, both times when the bear's dream is looking for its space. The head of the bear represents the night, the space where the stars are shivering. The bear's breast and belly are the space for the day, symbolising the earth, the fertile soil where plants root and animals live.

I hope the observers will be intrigued to wander through their own foreign landscape together with the bear.

Osvaldo Orias Arguedas

Sponsor: Honorarkonsul Wilhelm Münstermann