Visual Poetry
by Mario Bencomo

A focus installation featuring ten artworks by Mario Bencomo inspired by the work of various poets in different languages, including Constantine Cavafy, Federico García Lorca, Émile Nelligan, Oscar Wilde, and Walt Whitman. The visual poetry series is an exquisite tribute in which Bencomo pays homage to these great writers by including handwritten poems within his intricate compositions of words, delicate organic shapes and mystical forms. The exhibition will be on view through May 18, 2018.

As Yolanda Sanchez, Ph.D. and former director of the Airport Fine Arts & Cultural Affairs wrote in the catalog for the exhibition, Elegy to Poetry/Le Cabinet de Poésie:

“Bencomo has added a centuries-old dialogue between painting and poetry, finding his place within that tradition, and bringing the conversation to a very personal level. For Bencomo, these poets are friends, friends who are compassionate, friends who heal and help reshape and bring meaning to a frenzied world. It is a bit like an exchange of gifts: the poets bring their gifts through their poems, and Bencomo reciprocates by making art from their words – a call and response.”