Artists’ Group Rocks Out With Dual-Venue Exhibit

The artists’ collective Grupo Los 20 has launched a new exhibit using river rocks as the foundation for 85 works of art to be displayed in two Central Valley locations. Sebastián Mello, president of Grupo Los 20, says this is the first time common, natural river rocks have been sculpted, painted and otherwise adorned in a “primitivecontemporary” exhibit of this kind.

“Art lovers will have the opportunity to see the transformation of a simple rock into a work of art that evokes the face of a girl, a fish, a surreal landscape, a futuristic piece and dozens of other striking and creative shapes, colors and textures that are really different from what we’re accustomed to seeing,” Mello said in a statement.

The exhibit, entitled “Rupestre,” will run through June 6 at the Mexico Institute, in the eastern San José neighborhood of Los Yoses, and at Corteza Amarilla hotel in Santa Ana, southwest of the capital. Admission is free. Works range in price from $100 to $700, and 20 percent of sales will go toward educational programs, according to the statement.

Formed in November, Grupo Los 20 is an artists’ collective made up of no more than 20 artists at a time. “Rupestre” features works by Mello and 13 others, including Ricardo Alfieri, Leda Astorga, Renate Bale, Francisco Castro, Irene Sáenz and Ana Wien. For more information about the group, call Mariela Barrantes at 2296-9618.

–Tico Times