Coral Gables Gallery Night Opening: Diego Quiros presents Mirrors

Artist Statement about the Exhibition:

“I have always been intrigued by the unfinished, by suggestion. I feel it exerts great power on the viewer when a painting, a photograph, or any work of art is finished not within the frame, but in the eloquent, deliberate silence of the observer’s eye. It is analogous to the mystery of ruins, to unfinished sentences, to the poetry of Rilke and Gluck, to that which makes us wonder and reach conclusions in the complexity of our own inner world.

Since the late 90’s my visual work has progressed from stained glass and mosaics, to oils and acrylics, and most recently, to photography. My early influences were the work of the Pre-Raphaelites, Art Nouveau, and Symbolist painters who believed that art should represent absolute truths that could only be described indirectly. I have also experienced the same power of the unsaid in the haunting photography of Michael Kenna, the early work of Josef Koudelka and his ability to capture the presence of the human spirit amidst mostly dark and empty landscapes.

Through my exploration of different visual mediums, I have found that the material used to create an impression, whether glass, canvas or print, makes little difference on the observer. The power of the work comes from the secret it holds, from creating a finished piece of art that is suggestive beyond the frame, where the image presented does not compete with, or forfeit, the analysis and interpretation of the viewer.”

-Diego Quiros, 2017

About the Author/Photographer:

Diego Quiros spent his childhood in Spain and traveled to the United States by himself at age 10.  As a teenager he was drawn to photography – fascinated with the inner workings of the camera, and how the combination of mundane things such as optics, electronics and chemicals would collaborate to produce something sublime such as the image of a sunrise, the expression of a kiss, or forever hold the memory of a loved one. He learned to develop black/white and color film, and eventually set up a dark room at home before graduating from High School. His interest in chemistry, optics and electronics led him to study physics and math, which eventually led to an Engineering degree.

His photographs have been featured at the Zhu-B Art Gallery in Chicago, and at various galleries in Miami, including KROMA, Actor’s Playhouse, Palmetto Bay Village Center, and the Deering Estate where he had the privilege of being chosen as an Artist in Residence for a year. His photos have also been used to raise funds for historical preservation projects such as Coral Gables’ “Granada Water Tower” and the “White Way Light”. Quiros is also an accomplished writer; he published a collection of poems under the title “Alchetry” in 2009.

Musical performance by indie singer/songwriter, Lauren Norona.