Artist Statement

The real question for me today is: how can an artist working in the twenty-first century continue to create original works of art after the overwhelming presence of remarkable twentieth century art movements like Cubism , Dada, Surrealism, Bauhaus and Cobra? When I go to museums, I look at art from two different perspectives. One is from a historical point of view and the other is from the perspective of an artist. I will never paint like Jackson Pollock or Francisco de Goya but I profoundly admire the challenges they both brought to the aesthetics of art. The last two years have been significant for me in terms reflecting on art, history, and war. Dada was one of the most significant avant–garde art movements, born in the heart of Europe in the midst of World War I. This war remains the most brutal conflict ever seen in history and the artists of the period challenged tradition. Art as it was known would never be the same: industrialization, the photo-illustrated press, radio broadcasting, and commercial cinema. They created new strategies of art–making, including collage, montage, assemblage, readymades, and media pranks. My art installation Beauty for Ashes Project is a response to the history of modernism and functions as a twenty-first century parallel that reflects on the consequences of our times. The real challenge is to know when an artist stops quoting someone else and begins to quote himself. Great art comes from within, it is the true language of the soul. To create art is an act of faith in itself. In my case my faith in Christ Jesus is an endless source of inspiration and empowerment in the areas of creativity, love and hope.

—Duda Penteado