Dale Kaplan
Dale Kaplan
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
About Dale Kaplan
Dale Kaplan (b. 1956) grew up in a rural town near Boston MA, attending public schools, and later studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY and Cornell University in Ithaca NY (BFA ‘81). He was awarded the MCC (Massachusetts Cultural Council) Artist’s Grant in 2000, in recognition of artistic excellence in Painting. In the late 1980s he established a studio in Guadalajara and has divided his life and work between Mexico and the U.S. ever since. Exhibiting professionally in both countries, as well as in Canada, his works are in numerous private collections. Also active as an art critic, essayist and translator, since 1999 Kaplan has published original writing in several Spanish-language newspapers, magazines and online sites, and has various book credits as a translator. His texts, photographic essays, and reproductions of his paintings and graphic works, have appeared in numerous publications, as well as on book and CD covers, and his work has been included in historical exhibitions and published anthologies focused on the art produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco. In both imagery and texts, Kaplan’s work takes to heart Noam Chomsky’s definition of the responsibility of the intellectual: “to tell the truth and expose lies.” ______________________________________ARTIST'S STATEMENT_________________________ The driving force behind my artmaking is the conviction that painting has as much or more potential for intellectual expression as that which is generally attributed only to verbal language. My interest in critical thought about sociocultural, political, and power relationships, as well as in occasionally using satire and art-historical references to take some air out of the overblown types who rule with a "whim of iron"—are essentially the same as they were before coming to Mexico, and my frequent forays into language play and playing with imagery are the kinds of play I take seriously. In Mexico, though, like on the African plains, one plays, like small game, with one eye out for large predators who are always lurking just off to the side. Journalism can be a most dangerous game in this country, as can be practicing social critique or just openly expressing one's honest opinion. In life, risks must be taken, though, despite dubious "risk-reward" ratios. Many of my works have a backstory related to in-depth research on topics of concern to me, sometimes utilizing investigative techniques such as Freedom of Information requests. I hope that it is the formal qualities of the works that draws viewers in, while the meaning—put in play through the selection of expressive means, the use of specific stylistic devices, and the incorporation of historical references—will keep viewers interested and help the works “work.” While I prefer discussing specific works rather than artists’ entire oeuvres, there are many artists whose clear-eyed realism, passionate expressionism, selfless centeredness or compassionate intelligence and common sense I particularly appreciate: cartoonists (and other journalists) who, like the barman Mr. Dooley said, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable; the anonymous encaustic funerary portraitists from Fayum; Giotto; Piero; Michelangelo; Antonello da Messina: Hans Holbein the younger; Titian; Rembrandt; Vermeer; Hals; Steen; Zhu Da, better known as 八大山人 (Bada Shanren); Goya; Daumier; Courbet; Manet; Cézanne; Edouard Vuillard; John Singer Sargent; Winslow Homer; Thomas Eakins; Edvard Munch; Käthe Kollwitz; Grosz; Otto Dix; Max Beckmann; José Clemente Orozco; Francisco Goitia; John Heartfield; Soutine; Modigliani; Magritte; The Marx Brothers; Giacometti; Charles Sheeler; Edward Hopper; Edwin Dickinson; Vilhelm Hammershøi; Ben Shahn; Philip Guston; Ted Kurahara; Balcomb Greene; Jack Levine; Michael Russo; Harold “Red” Tovish; Arnold Trachtman; Lucian Freud; Antonio López; Sol Levenson; John Avakian; Monty Python; Anselm Kiefer; Rudolph Baranik; Hans Haacke; and just about everyone who has ever attempted to truly honor, represent or invoke 菩薩 or अवलोकितेश्वर) Avalokiteśvara, More or
Education:
-Pratt Institute, School of Art & Design, Brooklyn, NY
-Cornell University, College of Architecture, Fine Arts
and Planning, Ithaca, NY (BFA 1981)
-courses also taken at: The Art Students League, New York, NY; The New School, New York, NY; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Boston University, Boston, MA and the Cabañas Cultural Institute (Instituto Cultural Cabañas), Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
2007 — Invited to participate in exhibition of "2 Public Collections in Jalisco" (the work was considered of sufficient merit to be included in the collections), Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
2002 — Selected for the XXII La Grange National Biennial, La Grange, GA (juror: Benny Andrews)
— Selected for the “Alfredo Zalce” painting biennial in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
2000 — Recipient of MCC Painting Fellowship, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Artist Grants Program
(jurors: Gregory Amenoff, Cheryl Brutvan, Jeff Donaldson, John Moore, Joan Semmel)
— Selected for historical retrospective "Pintura en Jalisco, 1950-2000," organized by the Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico
1997 — Awarded cash prize, Concord Art Association, Concord, MA
— Selected for the 3rd “Alfonso Michel” Painting Biennial in Colima, Col. Mexico
1992 — Awarded cash prize, Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA
1990 — Selected for the “José Clemente Orozco” mural painting competition, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
1986 — Selected for the BAA “Works on Paper” Biennial at the Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA (juror: Linda Shearer, Curator, MoMA, New York, NY)
Events:
-travels in Europe and the Middle East, 1981-2
-lives and works in Boston, MA, 1982-87; member, Boston Visual Artists' Union
-travels to Mexico and establishes studio in Guadalajara, Jalisco,1987
-lives and works in Mexico and the U.S., 1987-present; member, Gallery of Social/Poitical Art, Boston, MA
-MCC (Massachusetts Cultural Council) Artists' Grant award for excellence in Painting, 2000
-writes art criticism and social critique essays (in Spanish) for publications in Mexico, 1999-present
-works as Spanish-to-English translator and editor.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2015 — cover art for Nina Miller novel "The Mother of Invention" (978-1-68111-028-8).
2012 — translation of "Brian Nissen" catalogue (Mexico City: Conaculta/ed. RM).
2009 — "Índice de artistas plásticos en Jalisco. Tomo II" [Catalogue of Visual Artists in Jalisco, vol. 2], ed. Carlos Navarro and Helia García Pérez (Guadalajara, Jalisco: Impresora Mar-Eva, 2009), pp. 681-689.
2008 — "Recrean artistas locales la obra de José Clemente Orozco,” by Cecilia Durán, in "La Jornada Jalisco," Guadalajara; Nov. 24.
2006 — op-ed piece published as part of a debate (titled “Desde la morgue”) on the work of Teresa Margolles; newspaper "Pùblico," Guadalajara; Feb. 7.
— painting detail reproduced on book cover of “Introduction à tout autre chose,” by Hubert Antoine (Paris: editions Verticales, Gallimard: 2070776956)
2005 — “Dale Kaplan y un homenaje a Julio Galán”; Guadalajara daily "Público," Dec. 31.
2003-4 — textual collaborations for magazine "Rémora" and “La cultura en Occidente” (cultural supplement of the daily "El Occidental"); Guadalajara, Jalisco MX.
— “Local artist boldly challenges the institution of art,” by Sean Mattson, in weekly "The Colony Reporter," April 19-25, p. 9.
2002 — “Incomodan sus miradas,” by Corina Preciado; daily "Mural," Guadalajara; Dec. 18, p. 7-D.
— cover art for the Hilary Noble CD “Noble Savage” (Whaling City Sounds, cat. no. WCS 016).
— “Se ríe de la política,” by Corina Preciado; daily "Mural," Guadalajara; Nov. 23, p. 11-D.
— catalogue: La Grange XXII National Biennial, Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, La Grange, GA.
— "The Boston Globe," Living/Arts section; Feb. 6, pp. F1, F6.
— "The Patriot Ledger," Quincy, MA; Entertainment section, January 19-20 (weekend edition), p. 37.
— "The Harvard Crimson," Arts section, Feb. 22.
2001 — "Pintura en Jalisco 1950–2000" (catalogue), Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jalisco MX.
— “Ocio,” cultural supplement of daily "Público," Guadalajara; Jan. 12, pp. 24-5.
1999-2000 photo essay, art criticism in "Público" newspaper, Guadalajara.
2000 — "Art New England" magazine, Aug./Sep., p. 43; review of Lone Gunmen Theories, by R. Craven.
— "The Boston Globe," City section, Feb. 13.
— "The Harvard Crimson," Arts section, March 3.
— "ArtsMedia" magazine, Boston, MA; March/Apr. issue, pp. 4-5.
— "Concord Monitor" (Concord, NH), Art & Entertainment; March 16, pp. D1, D6.
1999 — "The Boston Sunday Globe," City section; Oct. 24, p. 13.
— "Art Now Gallery Guide," November edition, Boston/New England issue, p. 19.
— "ArtsMedia" magazine, Boston, MA; Nov./Dec. issue, pp. 1-2.
— "South End News," Boston; Oct. 21, p. 21.
1998 — "Público," Arte & Gente section; Guadalajara, Sep. 30, p. 3.
— “Political strokes dominate their work,” by D. Wildman, in "The Boston Globe," City section; Oct. 11.
1997 — “Arte y Mundo en la Obra de Dale Kaplan” [Art and World in the Work of Dale Kaplan], by Víctor Sosa, in "Origina" magazine (Mexico City) no. 55, Sep. 1997, pp. 48–50.
— "Renglones" magazine (Guadalajara: ITESO), no. 37, Abr.–Jun; feature issue (both covers, all interior illustrations; article “Tómate tu jarabe, tapatío”).
— “El sueño de Schmidhuber,” by Juan José Doñán; "Siglo XXI" newspaper, Vida & Cultura section; Guadalajara, March 7.
1986 — catalogue: BAA “Works on Paper” Biennial, Pittsfield, MA; work reproduced on "Judge’s Statement" page.
Exhibitions:
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2010 — Espectáculo e insignificancia (Spectacle and Insignificance), ex-Convento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
2008-09 — Orozco desde el siglo XXI (Orozco [seen] from the 21st Century), Homage to José Clemente Orozco on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary, Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jal. MX (catalogue)
2007 — 2 Colecciones públicas en Jalisco. Producción artística siglo XX (2 Public Collections in Jalisco: 20th Century Art Production), Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
2005-6 —“Pieza del mes” (“Piece of the Month”), ex-Convento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
2004 — (e)VENT: Drawing Project in Response to the Patriot Act, Gallery 535, Boston, MA
2003 — Patio de Santos Difuntos, ex-Convento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jal. MX (exhibition travelled through various other cities in Jalisco, through 2004)
— La víbora de la paz, “Artistas contra la guerra” (Artists Against War), ex-Convento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jal. MX (exhibition travelled to various other cities in the state of Jalisco)
— Por la humanidad y contra la guerra (For Humanity and Against War), Galería Stoa, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
2002 — Thought Thrown Through Works, café-galería “André Breton”, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
— XXII La Grange National Biennial, Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, La Grange, GA
— Living With Too Little, Gallery of Social/Political Art (GSPA), Boston, MA
— Crítica de la Plástica Pura, café-gallery “Le Coq à Poil”, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
— Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Artist Grants in Painting: Finalists and Winners in 2000, The Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA
— Living With Too Little: Landlessness, Homelessness and Poverty, Gallery of Social/Political Art, Boston, MA
2001 — III Bienal Nacional de Pintura y Grabado “Alfredo Zalce” (3rd "Alfred Zalce" National Biennial of Painting and Printmaking), Museo de Arte Contemporáneo "Alfredo Zalce," Morelia, Mich. MX
— Pintura en Jalisco 1950–2000 (Painting in Jalisco, 1950-2000), Museo del Antiguo Palacio del Arzobispado, Mexico City, DF Mexico (catalogue)
2000 — Pintura en Jalisco 1950–2000 (Painting in Jalisco, 1950-2000), Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jal. MX (catalogue)
— Refugees and Immigration, Gallery of Social/Political Art, Boston, MA
— Lone Gunmen Theories, New England College Art Gallery, Henniker, NH
— Sex, Sexism, and Society, Gallery of Social/Political Art, Boston, MA
1999 — Peripheral Visions. Paintings from Mexico, Bromfield Art Gallery, Boston, MA
— Individual Concerns ’99, GSPA, The Community Church of Boston, Boston, MA
— Violence and Society, Gallery of Social/Political Art, Boston, MA
1998 — Individual Concerns ’98, GSPA, The Community Church of Boston, Boston, MA
— Salón de Octubre, ex-Convento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
1997 — All The World’s A Stage, Concord Art Association, Concord, MA
— Expo Carambola, Deportivo Jalisciense, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
— III Bienal “Alfonso Michel” de Pintura del Occidente (3rd "Alfonso Michel" Biennial of Painting in Western Mexico), exhibition organized by the state Ministry of Culture, Colima, Col., MX; travelled throughout several states in western Mexico and to the gallery Salón de la Plástica Mexicana in Mexico City (catalogue)
— Estado de Emergencia (State of Emergency/State of Emergence), Casa de la Palabra y las Imágenes, Guadalajara, Jal., MX
1994 — Salón de Octubre, Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jal., MX
1993 — Galería Clave, Guadalajara, Jal., MX
1992 — Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA
— Gallery Per Tutti, Boston, MA
1991 — gallerie Observatoire 4, Montréal, QC Canada
1990 — “José Clemente Orozco” mural competition, Zapopan, Jal. MX
— Galería Clave, Guadalajara, Jal. MX
1986 — "Works on Paper" Biennial, Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA (catalogue)
1982 — Boston Visual Artists’ Union, Boston, MA