Inglés

exhibiTiOn AND ARTWORK BY LIDIA LEÓN







exhibiTiOn AND ARTWORK BY LIDIA LEÓN texts by roberta semeraro

Curatorship and Texts LIBRO en BOOK in LIBRO IN Roberta Semeraro ESPAÑOL English ITALIANO Co-Curatorship Iris Peynado Design and Production Lourdes Saleme y Asociados Logo Design for the Exhibition Justine Agostinelli Translations Paddy Bianca IEromazzo Mara Gerety Rossella Vasta Style Editor Félix Fernández Photographs Maurizio Rossi Cover, 4-5, 7, 13-14, 22-23, 31-33, 38-39, 52-54, 60-62, 66, 68, 147, 157, 159-161 Andrea Merola 8, 14, 20, 24-26, 144, 152, 156 Michele Crosera 10-11, 18-19, 44, 63-65 Luis Nova Inside covers, 34-37, 41, 43, 47-49, 56-57, 59, 70, 72-75, 77, 78-79, 86-100, 103, 123, 129-131, 133, 135-138, 140-141, 143, 148, 151 Mariano Hernández 50-51, 55, 58, 67, 69, 80-81, 112-113, 118-119 David Nin 104-105, 109, 111 Frankie Báez 122 Guadalupe CasaSnova 121 LIDIA LEÓN 29, 40, 76, 83-84, 109-110, 115, 126, 133 Photo Editing JesÚS RODRÍGUEZ Printing Elcograf Copyright Fundación Lileón www.lileon.net Printed in 2019 ISBN: 978-9945-9142-4-5 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be altered, reused or reproduced by any means, without the written permission of the copyright holder as the intellectual author of the book.

C O N T ENT S Presentation 6 Ambassador Andrea Canepari Introduction 8 Iris Peynado Lidia León, from Silence to Creative Expression 12 Marianne de Tolentino CHAPTER I Te Veo, Me Veo The Exhibition 20 Te Veo, Me Veo The Exhibition 22 Te Veo, Me Veo The Artwork 34 Wabi Sabi 50 CHAPTER II Artwork by Lidia León 84 Drawings 86 Árbol Corazón 96 Latitudes y Longitudes 104 ADN Arte de Nacer 112 Jaula Brillante 122 RiCaca 134 CHAPTER III Who is LiLeón? 144 Artist’s Statement 146 Work Process 148 Who is LiLeón? 150 Exhibits 154





Italy and the Dominican Republic share a deep history based on culture. The Domin- ican Republic’s first resident bishop, Alessandro Geraldini, was an important Italian intellectual and humanist, a friend of Christopher Columbus, and the first builder of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. He arrived there on 17 September 1519, 500 years ago. Many other Italians, like him, have “built” a new culture together with the Dominicans, creating a lively cultural relationship between the two countries. Dominican architects studied in Italy, bringing back our ideas of beauty and construction and transforming them in their own way. And it’s not just art: the local development of agriculture and the Domin- ican Navy were also born out of this contact with Italians. It is a fruitful dialogue that is constantly being renewed, as demonstrated by the important presence of the artist Lidia León in Venice for the 58th Art Biennale (2019). She is a prominent artist whose works are full of powerful ideals and ethics, and seeing her creations in Venice inspires us to P R E S ENTAT ION build new, living bridges between our two countries. Lidia León’s exhibition in Venice comes at an important moment for Italy and the Dominican Republic: the 120th anniver- sary of the opening of diplomatic relations. Contemporary art, which has become one of the most international languages in the world, has the powerful ability to break down cultural barriers and geographical borders, bringing analysis of the world we live in into a communal space for reflection. This 58th International Exposition of Art in Venice, with participants from 89 different countries including the Dominican Republic, demonstrates the continued richness of art and its value for the human race, constantly offering new critical impulses towards personal and national growth. 6

This comparison –or, rather, this dialogue– between contemporary artists thus becomes an effective diplomatic instrument to maintain close relationships between cultures and favor a politics that supports understanding and peace between peoples. It might seem that an Ambassador’s job is simply to lend support to the artists from his or her own country, but in this case we have decided to promote this exhibition from a Dominican artist in Italy: along with reinforcing the bonds between our two countries on the occasion of the anniversary of our opening of diplomatic relations, the goal is to embark on a new path in which art and culture will become vehicles for dialogue and also contribute symbolically to the strengthening of the ties between Italy and the Dominican Republic. Andrea Canepari Italian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic 7

IN T RO DUCT ION 8

Since I became part of the RO.SA.M. Cultural Association, and especially since I was appointed its vice-president, I have longed to develop a cultural project to promote the art of my country, the Dominican Republic. When I became acquainted with Lidia’s art, I saw a representation of the sense of freedom enjoyed by the inhabitants of our island. Her ability to soar over preconceived patterns and in no way be confined within them, to make decisions that are not hinted at but are as vociferously firm as those of my people, is unequivocal. Lidia has a calm spirit and her mind, like her craft, is of a structured nature. But these features boldly burst out in parallel, and are thus unleashed through her artwork. As a professional actress, to co-curate an exhibition has been to curate myself: an extraordinary experience where I have had the opportunity to measure my views on art in the broadest sense of the word and understand how much I can give of myself so that art may continue to shine. It was therefore crystal clear to me that the most beautiful and prestigious place to exhibit the artwork of my country, Lidia’s artwork, was at the 2019 Venice Art Biennale. I thus suggested this idea to our partners and, namely, to art critic Roberta Semeraro. The exhibit Te Veo, Me Veo is faithful to its artist and reflects her courage and joy in life, her trust in her fellow humans and her relentless desire to share her artwork. In turn, I am very happy that this initiative has become part of the celebrations marking the anniversary of diplomatic activities held between the Dominican Republic and Italy, where my daughters were born and where I have been living for a number of years. Iris Peynado, Co-Curator Vice-president, RO.SA.M. Cultural Association 9



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Lidia León’s work of art, Te Veo, Me Veo is spectacular. The longer you contemplate it the longer you wish you could stay there, in front of the exhibition we consider the finest work of its creator, though our visual memory will treasure it later... Through her artistic, constructive and committed pathway, Lidia León has always put forth concerns and reflections, questioned herself, and expressed herself passionately and carefully at the same time. A culmination of these emotional states that often motivate ambitious projects has brought about an unforgettable exhibition in Venice. We share the view of her curator, Roberta Semeraro: “Lidia León’s art bears witness to the way sensitivity and intelligence are among the innate characteristics of many Dominicans, and we are not surprised that this country is also experiencing great developments from a cultural standpoint. I am happily surprised to have found in Dominican artists, and especially in Lidia, that sense of social responsibility that revives the very idea of community, unlike L I D I A LEÓN, F ROM SILEN CE TO CREATIVE EXP RESSION the individualist tendencies most widespread in the field of contemporary art in Europe.” We do not usually start a text with such an extensive quotation. However, Roberta Sem- eraro’s statements resonate with us, both for her role as the curator –closely associated in this with Iris Peynado– and for placing Lidia León in a Dominican context, which we believe is a positive and appreciated distinction. Her words live up to our art. Lidia León, beyond catharsis As often happens in important exhibitions, an autobiographical key opens the door to the work of Lidia León. It comes from her training, her professional practice, and her character. Anyone who has had the joy of knowing the various aspects of her personality finds them in the aesthetic pluralism of Te Veo, Me Veo. Architecture has proved very important for her. “I think my training as an architect helps me work extensively with symbols, shapes, and colors,” says Lidia León, regarding her collaboration on an unrivaled testimonial exhibition of her family at Centro León, an import- ant art and culture center of the Dominican Republic. She has also played a prominent role for many years in the foundation and the develop- 12

ment of the institution,“highlighting the links between personal growth, family growth and professional growth.” We find that same mystique and philosophy of the León family, uniting history, behavior and tradition, in her exclusive commitment to the visual arts at the beginning of this decade: even while serving in executive and advisory roles, Lidia León never distanced herself from architecture, nor did she abandon her great creative vocation for music and poetry. Rather than a catharsis, it was a kind of “state of grace” that led her to embrace the visual arts in a manner similar to that of a religious conversion. Her participation in the 2013 and 2015 National Visual Arts Biennials brought a new dimension to Dominican art, not only due to challenges regarding space, but also because of research and the involvement of the public. Lidia León worked tirelessly with silent zeal, which then erupted into unique local exhibits encompassing technological elements and formal audacity, prioritizing indi- vidual and collective communications, getting zestful and gleeful reactions... It came as no surprise that her artwork earned the Audience Award. Lidia León, a Dominican contemporary artist Lidia´s art is therefore never completed; it is always a work in progress. If we focus on Dominican contemporary art, her approach rejects differences of category, the installation being a testimony to this blending of genres: spatial manifestation, painting, graphics, photo, video, multiple interventions. We find them all in the artwork of Lidia León. Lidia León similarly distances the content of her work from any conservative themes. In short, she breaks through boundaries and established schools of thought, she proclaims complete creative freedom and allows herself full effervescence in terms of dimensions, space and texture –while deciding not to continue photographing, painting and drawing, techniques which she has also mastered. Far from being an iconoclast, she is a recidivist in most of her artistic productions, an experimenter by vocation and conviction who intends to expand the frontiers of art. She even ignores her own limits in order to “discover herself.” Lidia hopes her language adjusts to the options, questionings and changes of her time. Although it might seem utopian, the approach to individual, humanistic and social values is 13

in the materials, in the dimensions, in the space, in the gesture, in the proposal. Her com- mitment introduces continuous vitality, through changing and recreating models. They are therefore experimental pieces by her own choice. Constant evolution Lidia León was already intellectually concentrating on the Japanese philosophical and ex- istential concept of Wabi Sabi, which communicated peace and inspiration to her. If we think about it, no invocation could be better suited for her: because of its wisdom, its centuries-old history, its universal value, and its usefulness to the Caribbean natural world, fruitful and full of a truly wonderful biodiversity, which is also on alert and in permanent danger of an environmental deterioration that has already begun. Little does it matter that the term Wabi Sabi is untranslatable, even by the Japanese: so much the better, because of our curiosity, our constant appreciation of Japanese aesthet- ics and the significance entailed by the concept. It is a leap of faith, a special way of seeing the world, of distinguishing beauty through successive stages which transmit the passage of time and an (un)expected imperfection. A true prolegomenon –in two little words!– Wabi Sabi responded to Lidia’s concerns and to her appreciation of life, whether such inevitable changes are welcome or not. The artist stealthily brings this constant evolution to visual creation, and her search will capture the essential depending on the moment: the object that we contemplate and enjoy as defined today never definitively exists in the future and its appearances. However, this Eastern philosophy does not prevent Lidia León from placing her visual pro- ductions in the Caribbean, an iconographic, existential and social world, which the artist invites us to look at and delve into as desired ... For she believes in a free and participatory reading of the work of art. In fact, Lidia León attributes questions that Dominicans ask themselves about their iden- tity to the Antillean ethno-geographic blending of populations and the diversity of their or- igins: “Sometimes I feel that, in part, the reason why Dominicans ourselves feel insecure about our identity, fail to solidly and unquestionably feel it, and question ourselves, is that we must see ourselves as a nation of multiple backgrounds, but this is the treasure of the Caribbean.” A cultural treasure that she does not hesitate to expand. Lidia León wants her artwork to contribute to changing the destiny of Dominican visual art 14

and end the Caribbean isolation that the European cultural manager Antonio Zaya used to complain about: “They are excluded from art, not only from contemporary art, but from art in general, as if here there were no art at all. They are denied bread and salt.” Affinities and museography Lidia León presents her exhibition Te Veo, Me Veo at the Church of Santa Maria della Pre- sentazione, better known as the “church of the young maidens” or “Le Zitelle”, located on the island of La Giudecca. In no way does the artwork of Lidia León attack or desecrate this sacred place, but quite the opposite: the assembly, carefully planned, takes advantage of its interior formal, dimensional, artistic, and historical characteristics. The ideals trans- mitted by this artwork are linked to religious transcendence. The dialogue between the architecture of Andrea Palladio –powerful yet lighthearted– and the presence of art is unobjectionable. Here we find a spontaneous correlation between the ecclesiastic environment and the contemporary works, without it resulting in a strange invasive juxtaposition... We have heard from several impressed individuals who would love for Te Veo, Me Veo to remain in its Venetian enclosure. A sublime dialogue and echo, the spiritual burden resonates through the silence, the med- itative flow vibrates, the perception sharpens. We believe a better aesthetic relationship could not possibly exist. Today’s artworks, without concern for the past, interact with secular times in a spectacular fashion. This integration in the surrounding space is felt by the observer, invited to move from one piece to another at their discretion and to return irrespective of a second glance... Through practical intelligence, study of proportions and measurements, and strict order, Lidia León has methodically framed a delicate geometric composition. The resulting de- sign favors the deciphering of graphic, ontological, magical, and everyday signs presented and/or suggested by each piece found in the exhibition. Like every authentic contemporary artist, she requests the intellectual and sensitive par- ticipation of the spectator, who thus becomes an associate creator. All five pieces prove that nothing else is needed to make a great and memorable exhibition, mounted with professionalism, with a precise and adequate spatial disposition. 15

The artwork Lidia León requires an active and collective participation from the spectator: movement, conception, sensitivity, curiosity. For a full appreciation, Te Veo, Me Veo must be per- ceived directly in its reality, here three-dimensional and sensorial, just as the best repro- duction cannot replace the observation of an original painting. The main artwork, which the exhibition Te Veo, Me Veo is named after, is an imposing ovoid object that unexpectedly impresses with its placement, its size, and its metallic, shiny and reflective coating. Certainly, as expressed by the artist, “the egg-shaped struc- ture evokes the origin of life.” Confronted with this perfect form –a symbol of the renewal and continuity of the species– with its perennial power to capture our attention, we aspire to discover the mysteries and secrets enclosed in its interior. Spectators do not find themselves alone before an artwork, a surface; however, when deciding to participate physically at their discretion, they experience different types of emotions; passing through the curtain leads them into another world... which is difficult to escape. We would have liked to prolong the moment of the game, from beginning to end, and back to the beginning... It is then that Lidia unleashes both her fantasy and her altruistic concerns. The creator becomes playful, cheerful, even naughty... From a seesaw –a symbol of the return to child- hood– she promotes the reflection in the abyss and the game of mirrors, the crystalline transparencies and the revelation of the other... who suddenly appears and resembles us. In short, a wonderful real illusionism, ingeniously devised and realized, surprisingly joining aesthetics, scientific knowledge and technological contributions. Te Veo, Me Veo seduces and never stops disturbing... which makes it even more alluring. Lidia León never works in a single manner, and investigates solutions that are in line with the present. Likewise, she takes advantage of various materials and processes: metals, wood, cloth, paper, traces, oxidation, paint, objects and subjects, all deriving from transfor- mations that she governs and directs. If physically separated, the whole becomes a plot, a fabric, a proposal, which is captured through mosaic elements, fixed and suspended, still tangible and rhythmic. The fact that they could be carriers of riddles and messages should not be excluded: Síndone, per se, inspired by the Sacred Mantle, raises the connotation. 16

The hanging art installation, Horizonte y Unión, which we consider a masterful duo, could not better express the Wabi Sabi (trans)mutation, with the saline oxidation of the plates and their irregular and unusually iridescent macules. Printed on the wooden board, its marks give it an exciting abstract and informal lyricism. The complete Wabi Sabi collection elevates meaning and/or symbolism, while its execution reaches an unquestionable clarity, which can be the clarity of deterioration, contamination, and aging. Now, references, metaphors, and myths have special res- onance in our sensitivity, and have an interdependence between transformation and communication. Coda Paolo Baratta states: “We must promote permanent revolution brought by works and art- ists, always avoiding models that make the artist a one-dimensional subject, a direct agent of history and political evolution.” Te Veo, Me Veo by Lidia León, coincides with the intimate conviction expressed by the President of the 58th Venice Biennial. Marianne de Tolentino Art Critic, Galería Nacional de Bellas Artes Director AUTHOR’S NOTE: Quotes included in this document are found in an interview done with Lidia León in year 2003 in Santiago de los Caballeros, on the occasion of the opening of Centro León, an Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation cultural institution, of which she was Director. “Art stimulates my sensory communication, it awakens the memory by fading the boundaries of time and space, thus evoking endless connections into the present. I am currently working with tobacco leaves; I stroke them and allow their aroma and honey to awaken the stories of my grandfather in the field. Witnessing the natural decomposition and transformation processes of matter, I discover tran- sience, the ephemeral substance which we are made of, I connect with my origins, the earth.” Lidia León [LiLeón] 17

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Te veo Me Veo the exhibition CHAPTER I

T E VE O, ME VEo the Exhibitio n

Te Veo, Me Veo (I See You, I See Myself) 2018 Interactive installation Aluminum foil, metal, wood, acrylic and fabric 2.62 x 4.00 x 2.60 meters “My work reiterates the awareness of feeling that I reflect a collective reality wider than personal individual reality. It reveals that we are all interconnected like drops from the same ocean and encourages me to discover what lies beyond a simple glance. Discovering the interconnections between science, nature and spirituality, revealing the link between the intangible and the visible.” Lidia León [LiLeón] Lidia León uses her artistic practice to reflect on social and existential themes, such as intolerance and cultural shortcomings. With her talent and creativity, she aims to encourage the younger generations in particular toward critical thought and integration. In 2018, in recognition of the strong cultural values and social significance of her work, the Venice-based RO.SA.M. Cultural Association, which focuses its energies towards sustain- ability above all, accepted Dominican actress Iris Peynado’s invitation to organize LiLeón’s first European exhibition. In January of this year, Peynado and I met with the artist in her studio/atelier in Santo Domingo to select the works to include in the Venice show. León’s work reflects not only the beauty of her homeland and the vitality of its people, but also the profound values of this splendid civilization made up of people who have arrived, over many years, from every corner of the world. The art of Lidia León bears witness to how sensitivity, intelligence 23

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< Two views for the opening of the art exhibition, featuring Eddy, Hulda, Silvia and Julia Guzmán, Maurizio Rossi, Mónika Despradel, José Antonio Rodríguez, Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris, and Lidia León. and creativity are fundamental concepts for a very large number of Dominicans –it is no surprise at all that this country is currently experiencing significant cultural development. I was blissfully surprised to have found a distinct sense of social responsibility among Dominican artists, most of all in Lidia León– a sense that revives the idea of community itself, in contrast to the more widespread individualistic trends in contemporary European art. In fact, it seems that Dominican artists feel an essential duty towards their society. It’s no coincidence that Lidia León’s work is always interactive, inviting visitors to reflect, often through the form of a game. But that wasn’t all. During this short journey through important places in the artist’s life –Santo Domingo, Santiago and Sosúa– across ancient mountains and young plains, totally enveloped in the magnificent colors of nature, I found the straightforward simplicity of people and things, the signs of timeless beauty, a beauty that is truer and more democratic because it is closer to all. This is what Lidia describes, inviting us to rediscover it and appreciate it anew. This spontaneous vision of art is by no means naïve. On the contrary, it is pointed and courageously dignified. It is this vision of art and the artist that LiLeón’s exhibition has brought to La Serenissima, building new cultural bridges between our two countries. This exhibition, hosted by the Istituzioni di Ricovero e di Educazione in the splendid Church of Santa Maria della Presentazione, was organized for the 2019 Venice Art Biennale. The theme of the exhibition Te Veo, Me Veo is that of reciprocity. It is a concept that fits well with the mission of this public entity, historically active in Venice to offer assistance to minors, the elderly, and people in need. The I.R.E. grew out of older institutions, from which it has inherited an inestimable mon- umental heritage and several important collections over the centuries. And as luck would have it, the organization recently launched a collaboration with the Venetian Foundation for Human Services called “Hidden Treasures of Venice”, actively promoting and showcasing its five historic complexes, including the church of “Le Zitelle,” by hosting exhibitions of contemporary art. LiLeón’s work has thus found a welcoming space in the aforementioned church and be- come part of the initiatives that took place this year in the so-called “Hidden Treasures of Venice.” It also bears mention that the Dominican artist’s installations have passed muster with the Patriarchate of Venice, who oversees the activities taking place inside the city’s consecrated churches with extremely close attention, and also with the Venetian Office of 27

Archaeological, Artistic and Environmental Heritage, dedicated to preserving the historical and artistic sites of interest in the city and around the lagoon. The Church of Santa Maria della Presentazione, with its spectacular view on Piazza San Mar- co, is located on the Giudecca island just across from the Punta della Dogana –an ancient complex restored by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando, whom Lidia León cites to explain the Wabi Sabi philosophy that inspired a number of her works displayed here in Venice. Sensitive to the issues that affect women, in her piece Tejiendo Recuerdos Lidia León recalls the handicrafts made by the Zitelle (spinsters), that is, the poor but very beautiful young women housed in the hospice founded in the mid-sixteenth century and which the church was part of. The central plant of the church has been echoed in the circular arrangement of the works from the Wabi Sabi cycle, positioned between the minor and central altars. They surround the work Te Veo, Me Veo, which lends its name to the whole exhibit and is positioned directly beneath the great cupola designed by the master Italian architect Andrea Palla- dio. The free-standing structures that support the four works were designed to recall the metal grating around the altars of the Church, through which the pious almshouse’s young female residents would observe the holy services. Finally, the colors of LiLeón’s work blend seamlessly with the warm tones of the church’s stone floors, priceless paintings, and beautiful altarpieces and sacred objects, lending the scene a truly unique and special atmosphere of constant dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary. The choice of a soft artificial light to illuminate the works was made not only to respect the sacredness of the space but also to enhance its own characteristically bright natural lighting. The sunlight that enters the church through the cupola and through its main entryway that looks out onto the waters of the Giudecca canal reflects off the mirrored surface of Te Veo, Me Veo at the center of the room and bounces light towards the works positioned around the perimeter of the space. LiLeón’s works thus pass the light amongst themselves just as the Apostles do in Tintoretto’s painting of the Last Supper, kept in the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. They seem to live in perfect harmony with the environment around them and most of all with Venice itself: the city’s unique characteris- tics mean that it enjoys a unique natural light. 28

> Julio Valdez, Daisy Caamaño, Lidia León, Mario Arvelo Caamaño, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, and Miguel Ramírez 29

The exhibition, already seen by thousands of visitors, has inserted itself seamlessly into the context of everyday Venetian life: in fact, right after schools closed for the summer holidays, it became a favorite spot for the children of the island, who enjoy the see-saw hidden inside the work Te Veo, Me Veo. The playful, game-like aspect of art itself was also cited by Ralph Rugoff, director of this 58th Venice Art Biennale, which bears the meaning- ful title “May You Live in Interesting Times.” And not only that, but the very words that make up the title Te Veo, Me Veo have a certain affinity with the dialect spoken by Venetians. The photographer Maurizio Rossi, from the island of Burano, honored LiLeón by immortal- izing the Dominican artist and her presence in Venice through his unforgettable photogra- phy; as was also done by the director Marco Agostinelli, also a resident of Venice and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the International Festival of Films on Art in Montreal in 2000, who created two short documentaries on the exhibition, screened for the public during events organized by the Italian Embassy in Santo Domingo in celebration of the 120-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and the Dominican Re- public. In short, all of LiLeón’s works have an aura of the sacred about them, so much so that they can be seen as “Epiphanies”: points of no return, after which the viewer looks at everything around them with new eyes. “Many of my designs promote social inclusion through play, releasing tensions and stimulating the imagination. They invite the public to interact with my work, promoting the social need of human beings, promoting a space of respect for our differences, counteracting discrimination.” Lidia León [LiLeón] 30

The photographs capture moments from the opening of Te Veo, Me Veo (I See You, I See Myself) by Lidia León, in the church of Santa Maria della Presentazione. Venice, Italy. 9 May 2019. 31





T e v e o, Me ve o the Art wo rk 34

The ovoid shape of Lidia León’s Te Veo, Me Veo, the work that lends its name to 35 the exhibit, arrives directly from cosmogony. In particular, it recalls the cosmic egg1 echoed in the concave apse of Orthodox Christian churches2 and one of the most frequently recurring symbols in ancient and modern art as a representation of birth and re-birth: it’s no accident that it eventually became a symbol of Easter and the Resurrection. In addition to its symbolic value, the cosmic egg was used by Renaissance painters to measure out space, subdividing a painting into two symmetrical parts in perfect equilibrium. It was usually placed at the center of a composition, painted in pure white shades to reflect the light and illuminate the darkest areas of the canvas. The egg in its characteristic elliptical form therefore became a representation of the universe in all its cycles of flux. If we also consider art to be an unconscious language that leads to the art- ist’s own gratification through creation, with its consequent sublimation of content into the 1 Dictionary of Symbols, Jean Chevalier Alain Gheerbrant, Rizzoli 1987 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_di_Brera

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PREVIOUS TWO-PAGE: Artwork installation for Te Veo, Me Veo (I see you, I see myself) [Second Edition] which shall be presented at the Centro León in 2020. Santiago, Dominican Republic. Front view of the artwork Te Veo, Me Veo (I see you, I see myself) in the Church of Santa Maria della Presentazione. Venice, Italy 38



Te Veo, Me Veo form and structure of a work, Te Veo, Me Veo can also be linked to the birth and re-birth of (I See You, I See Myself) the personality of Lidia León, who rediscovered her own integrity as a woman and as an (Detail) artist in the creative act. 2018 In the same vein, it is interesting to note that this work, on display for the first time in Interactive installation Europe in the church of Santa Maria della Presentazione in Venice, is also the Dominican Aluminum foil, metal, artist’s first realization of an idea that grew out of a precise moment of her life –one linked wood, acrylic and fabric to her rediscovery of the “Self” through her artistic practice. LiLeón, with her ability to reinterpret objects, transforms the cosmic egg from a symbol of 40 birth and rebirth into a spaceship to explore the planet of knowledge of oneself and of others. An aircraft of sorts, built according to a classically-aerodynamic shape covered in reflective aluminum foil that surrounds a space-capsule-like cabin, where visitors can sit on either side of a simple seesaw. The seesaw is half-hidden behind a curtain of black fabric that divides it in two and separates the interior of the capsule from the space outside. An oval window made of synthetic and plastic fibers opens up the center of the curtain. A clever contraption uses the up-and-down oscillation of the seesaw to switch a light on and off inside the cabin, changing the window from transparent (light on) to mirrored (light off.) And so, the visitors who sit on either end of the seesaw find themselves carried away by the game, first seeing their counterpart’s face in the window (Te Veo / I see you) and then an instant later their own reflection (Me Veo / I see myself) Both the structure of the work and the mechanism of the seesaw make a clear allusion to the sexual act of conception. It’s no accident that the Sacred Scriptures often uses the verb “to know” to describe sexual relations between a man and a woman.3 Like a placenta protectively wrapped around an embryo, the aluminum shell of Te Veo, Me Veo hides within its interior the mystery of the origin of life itself: fertilization, understood as the interpene- tration and union of the subject and object of knowledge. The artist’s interest in DNA was already clearly stated in 2013, with the installation ADN - Arte De Nacer, for which she received the audience award at the 27th Biennial for Visual Arts in Santo Domingo. Thus, genetic material contains all the necessary information for the development of an individual. The vision offered by León in both these works argues that for a person to fully reaffirm their dignity as a human being, they must undertake the cognitive efforts that allow them to reach this understanding of themselves and of their fellow individuals. 3 Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; 19:8; - Gospels of Luke 1:34 and Matthew 1:25

This work, focused on the idea of the reciprocity of opposites, was conceived to explore the “process of knowing,” starting from the Golden Rule (or the rule of reciprocity).4 From an anthropological perspective, the principle of reciprocity is built on the correlation of two fundamental principles of ethics: freedom and equality. Many philosophers, thinkers and spiritual teachers have concentrated their efforts on pro- ducing a reasonable explanation of this rule that is easy to understand –but, alas, it is al- ways difficult to implement (as demonstrated by the fact that despite the passage of time and the rivers of ink spilled on the subject, racial discrimination continues to plague the world every day). Immanuel Kant (to whom Lidia León refers in her commentary on her own work) states in his Critique of Practical Reason, intending to set out objective categor- ical imperatives for all human action: “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end.” 4 http://www.aecna.org/Amicizia_Ebraico_Cristiana_di_Napoli/Regola_doro.html 41

A deontological analysis of this statement makes clear the intimate relationship between every action and the real world in which it occurs –and upon which it enacts its effects and consequences. Therefore, if when looking at others we see a reflection of ourselves in them (exactly as the artist invites us to do) there can never be any kind of exploitation in human relationships but only reciprocity between individuals, who will be guaranteed a just and egalitarian world. The fact that the Dominican artist has felt the need to give space and form in her creative world to these fundamental concepts of human rights is a testimony to the immense stature of her work. Raised and educated in a Catholic family that has for many genera- tions been dedicated to the development of arts and culture in their homeland, Lidia León studied first photography and applied arts and later architecture, earning her degree from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU) in the Dominican Republic. Today she calls on all her senses to confront crucial themes in her work: • Her sense of space, an innate talent refined by her study of architecture. All of Lidia León’s art exists in a three-dimensional space –another reason she tends to use reflective or transparent materials that envelop their surrounding space without negating it. But her approach to her work’s relationship to space is notable for its frequent nods towards the ideas of the Constructivists in the 1920s5, who conceived of art as construction in space and for whom the form and structure of a work coincided with its function. LiLeón con- ceived and designed Te Veo, Me Veo with a specific function in mind, from which its oval shape was born. 5 http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/costruttivismo/ “In Te Veo, Me Veo, the fun playful movement of the seesaw reveals the power play among human beings. Remembering our childhood, we observe the constant encounters and missed encounters of life with naiveté.” Lidia León [LiLeón] 42

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• Her sense of light, which comes to her through photography –and the darkroom in partic- ular, which inspired the construction of the interior of the capsule in Te Veo, Me Veo, where visitors can see one another through the switching off and on of the light. Even the choice of reflective material for the work’s outer coating is primarily about light. What other color could be more relevant to the theme of knowledge and understanding than light itself? Knowledge is a matter of illumination, arrived at by first passing through the shadow of ignorance we are all accustomed to, towards the light of wisdom described by Plato in his Allegory of the Cave. A myth that, essentially, anticipated photography: the word comes from the Greek, a union of phos (light) and graphé (script) –writing or drawing with light. • Her sense of humor, which leads her to reinterpret the simple game of seesaw –part of the collective imagination– as an allegorical union of the complementary elements of masculine and feminine, transforming the seesaw into both the functional and conceptual mechanism of the work. Ironically, the playful aspect of Te Veo, Me Veo recalls the “cul- tural operations” of some Neo-Dadaist Italian artists like Piero Manzoni, who consecrated the art of the hard-boiled egg in 1959, “signing” a series of them with his thumbprint and then offering them to the public to eat.6 Pino Pascali agreed that play is a way for both children and adults to gain knowledge: “Children’s games, in reality, are designed to allow them to experiment and discover, to learn about and overcome things at the same time. But what do we mean by “child”? Whatever their age, people can remain “children” for their entire lives.” In Te Veo, Me Veo, ethics and aesthetics are perfectly integrated, giving rise to a power- fully evocative and experiential work with which visitors can interact, coming into contact above all with the artist’s personality. The choice to place the work in the church of Santa Maria della Presentazione in Venice was informed by the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, in which Jesus says “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them.”7 But not only that: it is also contextualized within the current policies of tolerance and integration promoted by the Church and the most progressive factions of contemporary society. And we should not forget that this church in particular was once the center of the “Le Zitelle” complex, an old boarding school that took in poor young girls and gave them shelter from the meanness of the world. Nor can we forget 6 http://performart.altervista.org/piero-manzoni 7 http://www.chiesalogos.com/public/serie/matt-7.12-la-regola-d-oro-10.3.13.pdf 45

that Venice –La Serenissima– was long known as the Western world’s “window on the Orient,” and boasts a storied tradition of cultural openness due in part to its history of seafaring and trade. The Most Serene Republic of Venice, founded in the ninth century, was one of the first examples in history of a state organized according to what we would recognize as modern democratic ideals.8 The mirrored elements that make up Te Veo, Me Veo trace back to the grand stage of this city, where people and things coexist in harmony with their environment, finding balance in their many diverse reflections in the water. 8 https://www.persee.fr/doc/efr_0223-5099_1996_act_220_1_4989 “In my case, conceptual art arises from the inner silence of long periods of meditation. Te Veo, Me Veo, is inspired by the Greek aphorism “know thyself - the way you see others says more about you than about them.” My training as an architect makes creating these intangible experiences possible.” Lidia León [LiLeón] 46