Roy Lawaetz who originates from the tiny Caribbean island of St. Croix is an internationally exhibited artist whose concepts and prototypes have been promoted worldwide in juried exhibitions, biennials , articles, books and websites. In 2000 he published his ”Modular Triangular System” theory offering alternative support structures for painting. Although no particular school of art attached to these specific formulations has hitherto been established his Caribbean Weltanschauung has already attracted some important attention.
He has caused some to see his particular style as a unique contemporary niche that is fresh and at the same time layered with cultural re-affirmation potent. With its archaeological base of the Caribbean’s Taino Indians as a fountainhead of inspiration the artist’s often combines modern age thinking and elements and components in his structural pieces. Already in 1996 he was the first invited artist from the U.S. Virgin Islands to represent his country at the prestigious Biennale de Sao Paulo. He has also participated in other world class juried exhibitions in museums such as the Castle Grimaldi, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, the Grand Palais, Paris, and the Documenta Halle, Kassel, Germany.
His prototype range is wide with depth now comprising more than 100 support formats as compared to the standard conventional and hegemonic rectangle used in painting. And some like the playwright Franklin Dominquez have posited that “The artist combines painting and sculpture in an artistic category that is still considered Avant-garde.”
Roy Lawaetz’s unique Caribbean background and early art instruction in the U.S. have now awarded him the role of inventor/theorist. His first mentor Hungarian-American Victor Candell of Provincetown Workshop, Cooper Union fame impressed upon him that “Art was invention.” Indeed his “Modular Triangular System” art certainly departs radically from the classical rectangle as a support medium and portends unlimited potential for visual expression in the 21st Century and beyond. Lawaetz’s studio work features a startling array of form proto-types comprised of triangles in various combinations.
He is currently active in promoting his “Modular Triangular System” in schools, lectures, books and foreign exhibitions. Recently in 2011 he began to explore digital art on the Apple ipad and has posted some of his work on Roy Lawaetz facebook (click here) and his website. (Click here)
PRAISE FOR ROY LAWAETZ
Dr. Ricardo E. Alegria, Director, Institute of Advanced Studies in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean:
“Your contribution to modern art is done in a distinct manner that has not been done before.”
Vice President Jens Olesen, Sao Paulo International Biennale, Brazil:
“Roy Lawaetz is a very innovative artist with a new way of looking at art.”
Art Critic Marianne de Tolentino, Coordinator of the Cultural Center of the Caribbean “ Cariforum”, Palacio Bellas Artes, Santo Domingo, DR.
“Unanimously observers have concluded that the works of Roy Lawaetz were the most impressive of the Caribbean artists at the 23rd International Sao Paulo Bienal 1996.”
Dr. Franklin Dominquez, Director General of Fine Arts, National Museum, Santo Domingo, DR.
“The artist combines painting and sculpture in an artistic category that is still considered Avant-garde.”
Dr. Maximilian C. Forte, Assistant professor, Anthropology Department, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
In a context where so much art looks like the desperate somersaulting of those pleading for attention, claiming novelty, it is so refreshing to see something so genuinely new that brings the Caribbean to life through both history and reinterpretation.
Erik Meistrup, art critic, Kunstavisen, Denmark
It is a marvel to meet an artist that is intellectual, theorical and at the same time spontaneous and again historically conscious with a new mythological language on canvas. He is of Danish descent but his Caribbean roots are awesome.
Input your search keywords and press Enter.