Marian Lefeld
Untitled, 2010 (from Caracas Series) 38' X 40'
The daughter of a Basque immigrant, Venezuelan born artist Marian de Lefeld (1970) relocated to the United States in 1996, shortly before Hugo Chávez seized political power in the otherwise traditionally democratic South American country.
In her yearly trips back home to Venezuela, Marian has witnessed the tragic deterioration of a once flourishing society into its current stagnant state of affairs, inappropriately called the socialist “Beautiful Revolution.” These changes in her beloved country have had a profound effect on her art.
Marian studied art at Brookhaven College before graduating magna cum laude with a BFA from Southern Methodist University. She has exhibited extensively in a series of paintings and prints she calls political landscapes. Her work has recently expanded to include sculpture.
Gallery affiliations include Ro2 Art, Dallas, Texas, Carmen Araujo Arte in Caracas, Venezuela and Maestro Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her work will be included in the 2010 Buenos Aires Contemporary Art Fair, Argentina.
Artist Statement
Indifference Is Not an Option
I left my native country, Venezuela, fourteen years ago. Perhaps the distance of time and miles has allowed me to see my country with a new clarity
Venezuela is endowed with plentiful natural resources, yet victimized by corrupt leaders. My yearly visits have revealed a shameful disparity between political posturing and the harsh realities of my homeland. Poverty is palpable throughout the urban landscape, even though Venezuela sits on the largest oil reserve of the western hemisphere. Two contrasting yet interdependent worlds live and breathe in proximity: the scant privileged classes, who enjoy lives of limitless possibilities; and the poor, who endure desperate lives in the slums that house most of the urban population. These slums serve as a visible reminder of the tragedy of the ignored.
In her yearly trips back home to Venezuela, Marian has witnessed the tragic deterioration of a once flourishing society into its current stagnant state of affairs, inappropriately called the socialist “Beautiful Revolution.” These changes in her beloved country have had a profound effect on her art.
Marian studied art at Brookhaven College before graduating magna cum laude with a BFA from Southern Methodist University. She has exhibited extensively in a series of paintings and prints she calls political landscapes. Her work has recently expanded to include sculpture.
Gallery affiliations include Ro2 Art, Dallas, Texas, Carmen Araujo Arte in Caracas, Venezuela and Maestro Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her work will be included in the 2010 Buenos Aires Contemporary Art Fair, Argentina.
Artist Statement
Indifference Is Not an Option
I left my native country, Venezuela, fourteen years ago. Perhaps the distance of time and miles has allowed me to see my country with a new clarity
Venezuela is endowed with plentiful natural resources, yet victimized by corrupt leaders. My yearly visits have revealed a shameful disparity between political posturing and the harsh realities of my homeland. Poverty is palpable throughout the urban landscape, even though Venezuela sits on the largest oil reserve of the western hemisphere. Two contrasting yet interdependent worlds live and breathe in proximity: the scant privileged classes, who enjoy lives of limitless possibilities; and the poor, who endure desperate lives in the slums that house most of the urban population. These slums serve as a visible reminder of the tragedy of the ignored.
