Rebel Art

By Sue Arrowsmith ‘06

A decade ago, when Gean Moreno ‘97 was “surfing through departments” at FIU in search of his vocation, he never imagined that one day he would win a prestigious art award.

Last May, the Miami-based artist, curator and writer, took home the 2007 Emilio Sanchez Award in the Visual Arts presented by The Cintas Foundation.

Established in honor of the late Oscar B. Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador to the United States and patron of the arts, the foundation has awarded more than 300 fellowships and grants to artist, composers and writers of Cuban descent living outside the island.

“I was very excited,” said Moreno, who graduated from FIU in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

Untitled by Gean Moreno.

Moreno describes his winning works as a series of paintings, though they look more like huge collages. In one, he piled together used photocopies, stuffed-animal parts, aluminum foil, acrylic, fabric and spray paint on a canvas suspended from large two-by-fours.

“Pop culture is my natural habitat, so I draw from it a great deal,” said Moreno. “I have a particular interest in what is often called ‘trash culture,’ such as B-movies, sci-fi fiction, zombies, scat-metal and slimy things.”

Inspired by prolific artists such as Asger Jorn, Jorge de la Vega and Steven Parrino, Moreno said his art is critical of society.

“I make paintings with an analytical edge,” he said. “Specifically, I’m interested in how paintings register discontent with existing social relations.”

The young artist with an attraction to “meaty, gory and trashy things” was raised in a culturally diverse environment. Born in New York City to a Cuban mother, he lived in Colombia, his father’s native country, for eight years before coming to Miami at age 12.

Moreno said he never contemplated a career in art prior to attending college. At FIU, he began taking literature and art classes.

“I managed to surf a lot between departments. I was able to take a number of courses in political science, history, art history and sociology, all of which influenced my practice immensely.”

You can see Gean Moreno's work at the Frost Art Museum through Sept. 16.

After graduation, he took a break from the craft, but writing for art publications brought him back. When he is not exploring art and society at his studio in the Wynwood Arts District, Moreno continues to contribute articles publications such as Art Paper, Flash Art and The New Art Examiner.

The Cintas Foundation visual arts award comes with a $15,000 cash prize, which Moreno will use to further his creative development. In addition, he will join the ranks of some of the country’s most prominent artists and past award recipients. They include installation artist Teresita Fernandez ’90, sculptor Maria Elena Gonzales ‘79 and painter Carlos Alfonzo.

Moreno is not wasting time. He is scheduled to participate in two upcoming group shows in Valencia, Spain, and at the Haifa Museum in Israel. He also will be featured in a large two-person show at the Institute of Visual Arts (INOVA) at the University of Milwaukee.

Moreno’s untitled collage paintings will be on display at FIU’s Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum through Sept. 16. For more information, call 305-348-2890 or visit www.frostartmuseum.org.

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