Yamasá

Engel Leonardo's work crosses various media, such as sculpture, installation, site-specific interventions, and ready-mades. Based on research of the artisan and architectural forms of his native country, as well as some religious traditions and cultural exchange between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Leonardo proposes new aesthetic relationships with which to approach the history and traditions of the Caribbean region. The traditional Dominican wooden chairs serve as inspiration for Yamasá, a set of three schematic rectangular-shaped sculptures that exist as contemplative objects with an almost functional appearance. Guano weaving covers part of the structure of the pieces in different configurations, like a loom or hinting at shapes and ties typical of a chair. Yamasá also happens to be a municipality of the Dominican Republic. Inspired by research and reconnaissance trips in which he gets to know the country, its own traditions and crafts, these pieces seek to integrate artisan work into the conceptual process of contemporary art. The colors of the sculptures also refer to the colors typical of the Dominican vernacular construction in rural areas.