Who desecrated the Georgetti Mansion? Spanish Version The exhibition «Who desecrated the Georgetti Mansion?» by Eddie Ferraioli is dedicated to the Georgetti Mansion, designed by Czechoslovakian architect Antonin Nechodoma (1877-1928), and honors his memory. The theme of this exhibition–the rescue and conservation of our heritage, both natural and built–has been a constant in Ferraioli's works and exhibitions. Four vectors energize Ferraioli's body of work: the condemnation of the pillaging of a sacred space (desecration), the pressing need for environmental and architectural conservation, the urgency of keeping our memories alive, and the life project inspired by the mosaics and stained glass of this destroyed architectural jewel. And so, in putting forth the question 'who?', it becomes a compelling call–almost an inquest– to find those responsible for this devastating loss of our patrimony. Where do houses go when they die? In what dimension do the human sensations and experiences, the joys and tribulations which accumulated during decades now subsist? Personally, for the artist, the accumulated memories of this house still vibrate because of the immediacy of a lived memory. Each object recovered and transformed into a mosaic, each door and window redeemed by art, attests, as clearly as a hologram, the sonorous beauty of this mansion lost to us because of indifference and neglect. It is the defiling of a structure which, because of its architectural perfection, appreciated through a cult of beauty, was a sacred space. Let us then imagine that the walls of this museum are the support for the doors, windows and chairs (inspired by Nechodoma's designs) that were once a part of the Georgetti Mansion, and that the visitors are witnesses of an archaeological montage. Although Ferraioli has dedicated a large part of his life to stained glass, it has been mosaics which have captured his interest in recent years. Recently, he has ventured into fused glass, and it is this medium which we will most frequently encounter in this collection, whose core consists of twelve pieces in wood from the doors and windows retrieved from the Georgetti Mansion. Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher and essayist, introduces the concept of 'aura' in reference to the vibrant presence that the artist (through tactile contamination) imbues in his works. Will we be able to feel the 'aura' of the house when we come in contact with its authentic wood? The presence of absence… Of the twelve works constructed from the original doors and windows, it is the twelfth piece which catches us off guard: a tryptic of shutters and mosaic with the message that erupts in the form of a grievance and serves as the title of the exposition: Who desecrated the Georgetti Mansion? It is not a coincidence that there are twelve pieces in this collection, since Ferraioli, through numerology, portrays the magic, the power and the meaning of the sacred ensembles in different cultures beyond the Biblical. In addition to the twelve doors and windows, for this exhibition, the artist surprises us with a foretaste: ten women morphed into hyperbolic chairs, drawn out from a hallucination of Nechodoma. Some were constructed by the artist; others had been discarded and were salvaged; and some were recycled from other houses. The twelve doors and windows retrieved from the Georgetti Mansion, as well as the chairs/sculptures, only make up the nucleus of the totality of works presented in this exhibition. Most of the mosaics are part of the artist's collection, and many were part of previous exhibits. There is one unifying and distinctive theme par excellence: the celebration of the fruits and flowers which embellish our countryside, some of which have been forgotten. Let us celebrate, then, this wonderful tribute to the beauty and richness of our flora transformed into art, and which we see displayed before us together with the artist's commitment to protect and preserve, not only our natural environment but also our architecture and culture. Let us protect those 'ships of our past' to which we see what we are. It is the same message carried forth…whether it be through glass, through poetry or through song. Sonia CabanillasCurator, August 2023 Eddie Ferraioli | Biography

Who Desecrated the Georgetti Mansion? English Version The exhibition Who Desecrated the Georgetti Mansion?, by Eddie Ferraioli, is dedicated to the Georgetti Mansion—designed by Czech architect Antonin Nechodoma (1877-1928)—and honors its memory. The theme of this exhibition, about the rescue and conservation of our heritage, both built and natural, has been a constant in Eddie Ferraioli's work and exhibitions. Four vectors energize Ferraioli's work: the denunciation of the violation of a sacred space (desecration); the imperative of environmental and architectural conservation; the urgency of keeping memory alive; and the life project inspired by the stained-glass windows and mosaics of this destroyed architectural gem. Asking the question "who?" is a pressing call, almost an investigation, to find those responsible for this heritage loss. Where do houses go when they die? In what dimension do the experiences, joys, and sorrows that accumulated there over the decades survive? For Ferraioli, the memories accumulated in that house still vibrate with the immediacy of a vivid memory. Each piece recovered and transformed into a mosaic, each door and window redeemed by art, attest, almost like a sound hologram, to the beauty of this mansion lost to the lack of love and neglect of many. It is a desecration of a building that, through the cult of beauty and architectural perfection, was a sacred space. Let us consider, then, that the walls of this museum are the support for the doors, windows, and chairs (inspired by Nechodoma's designs) that once formed part of the Georgetti Mansion, and that visitors are witnesses to an archaeological display. Although Ferraioli has dedicated much of his life to stained glass, it is the mosaic that has captured his interest in recent years. More recently, he has ventured into fused glass, and it is this medium we will find most frequently in this exhibition, the core of which is formed by twelve pieces made from wood from doors and windows salvaged from the Georgetti Mansion. Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher and essayist, introduced the concept of "aura" to refer to the vibratory presence that the artist, like "contamination by touch," leaves in the work. Can we feel this "aura" of the house upon coming into contact with its authentic wood? The presence of absence... Of the twelve works constructed with the original doors and windows, the twelfth catches us off guard: a triptych of shutters and mosaic with the message that emerges as a denunciation and serves as the title of the exhibition: "Who Desecrated the Georgetti Mansion?" It is no coincidence that there are twelve, since Ferraioli captures, through numerology, the magic, power, and meaning of sacred objects from different cultures, in addition to the biblical. In addition to the twelve doors and windows, for this exhibition the artist surprises us with a first: ten women metamorphosed into hyperbolic chairs, taken from a hallucination of Nechodoma. Some were built by the artist, others were collected from the trash, and still others were recycled from other houses. The twelve doors and windows recovered from the Georgetti Mansion and the chairs/ladies comprise only a core of the total pieces in this exhibition. Many of them were part of past exhibitions, and most of the mosaics come from the artist's collection. They are united by the distinctive theme par excellence: the celebration of the fruits and flowers that adorn our countryside, some of which we have relegated to oblivion. Let us celebrate, then, this beautiful tribute to the beauty and richness of our flora transformed into art and unfolding before us, in conjunction with the artist's commitment to protect and conserve not only the natural environment but, with it, our architecture and our culture. Let us protect these "ships of the past" to which we owe what we have become today. It's the same message... whether it's glass, poem, or song. Sonia Cabanillas, Curator, August 2023, Eddie Ferraioli | Biography

Aby Ruiz | Sin pena ni gloria Spanish Version Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in 1971, Aby Ruiz is a visual artist working with oil painting, drawing and installations. His work explores human nature in different situations in which human behavior is exposed. The body is the primary source of expression in highly charged compositions where sometimes an element of humor appears. The themes most developed by the artist are related to childhood, sexuality, mortality, innocence, violence, and tenderness and are addressed in undefined spaces and cropped images. Ruiz was involved in the arts early in life; he took painting classes with Pablo San Segundo and studied painting, drawing, and printmaking at the Specialized School of Fine Arts in Arecibo, under the tutelage of professor and artist Rolando Borges Soto. Ruiz's work has been presented in many international exhibitions in the United States, Panama, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. He is the recipient of several awards, and his work is held in many private and public collections, such as Museo de Arte de Caguas, Puerto Rico; Museum of Contemporary Art, Puerto Rico; Ana G. Méndez University Museum, Puerto Rico; Puerto Rican Athenaeum and The Lannan Foundation, New Mexico. Sin pena ni gloria is the artist's first survey exhibition, encompassing more than two decades of painting, drawings, and installations.  

Puerto Rico: Un homenaje a nuestra historia Eric Tabales English Version Pintor, escultor y profesor. En 1985 obtuvo un bachillerato en biología y química de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, donde además estudió tecnología médica en 1987. Más tarde completó un bachillerato en artes plásticas en la Universidad de Puerto Rico y en 1996 una maestría en pintura en la Academia San Carlos, Universidad Autónoma de México. En 1993 recibió el primer premio en la III Bienal de Arte Joven del Chase Manhattan Bank. La Asociación Internacional de Críticos de Arte, Capítulo de Puerto Rico, le ha otorgado varios premios: Mejor Monumento Público 1995 (Capilla de Meditación Juan Acha en México); Monumento Privado 1996; Mejor Exhibición en su Medio 1998; y Mejor Exhibición Individual 2006. Ha sido Profesor de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y la Universidad Interamericana. Realizó los vitrales del Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Guaynabo, Capilla Universidad Central de Bayamón, y el teatro Braulio Castillo de Bayamón. En 1995 patentizó la técnica de óxido sobre cristal que utiliza en sus trabajos y que es el resultado de sus investigaciones técnicas y conceptuales, las cuales lo han llevado a identificarse con una nueva visión de la plástica latinoamericana. La Universidad de Puerto Rico lo galardona como Ex-Alumno Distinguido 2008. Es Artista Residente de la Universidad Central de Bayamón. Eric Tabales es representado exclusivamente por San Patricio Art Center (Galería SPACE) en Guaynabo – Puerto Rico. Sabemos que la estructura edificada no es otra cosa que la proyección, en la tercera dimensión, de conceptos mentales a través de los cuales organizamos nuestro ambiente. Construimos como pensamos. Esas plazas pueblerinas manifiestan nuestras creencias, nuestras necesidades, nuestros afectos. Son la materialización de actividades consuetudinarias: la religiosa, la comercial, la cultural, la monetaria, la gubernamental. Todas ellas se flanquean y forman parte de un diario vivir comunitario. El cura, el alcalde, el banquero y el comerciante se entrecruzan, se saludan, se visitan y conversan a diario. Pero sobre todo el pueblo se congrega en la plaza, a la sombra sabrosa de los árboles que los consuelan del calor, al sonido suave de las fuentes que los convidan a arremolinarse, los bancos hospitalarios hechos para sentarse a compartir confidencias y coqueteos, al viento que arrastra parches de luz y sombra entre los edificios. Todos hemos crecido arropados de cuentos pueblerinos de sencilla felicidad compartida. Las chicas tomadas del brazo circunvalando la plaza, observadas desde la periferia por muchachos ávidos de una sonrisa tímida. Muchos romances cruzaron desde la plaza a la iglesia, muchas familias enraizadas en el cariño a la patria chica. Visitante, acérquese a esa memoria perdurable que usted experimentó en esa iglesia, bajo ese árbol, desde ese banco. Fragmento del ensayo “El ágora de los pueblos: las acuarelas de Eric Tabales”Sonia CabanillasViejo San Juan2023

Aby Ruiz | Sin pena ni gloria English Version Aby Ruiz, (Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 1971) is a visual artist who works with oil painting, drawing, and installations. His work explores human nature in different situations in which the behavior of each individual is exposed. The body is the main source of expression in very intense compositions where an element of humor occasionally appears. The themes most developed by the artist are related to childhood, sexuality, mortality, innocence, violence, and tenderness, and are addressed in undefined spaces and cut-out images. Ruiz became involved in the arts from an early age, took painting classes with Pablo San Segundo, and studied painting, drawing, and printmaking at the Specialized School of Fine Arts in Arecibo under the tutelage of professor and artist Rolando Borges Soto. His work has been presented in numerous international exhibitions in the United States, Panama, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. He has received several awards, and his work is part of numerous private and public collections, such as the Caguas Museum of Art, Puerto Rico; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Puerto Rico; the Ana G. Méndez University Museum, Puerto Rico; the Puerto Rican Athenaeum; and The Lannan Foundation, New Mexico. Sin pena ni gloria is the artist's first retrospective exhibition, spanning more than two decades of painting, drawing, and installation work.