Makishi Nikishi - Jose Bedia

José Bedia. Kfwebe. 2008 Mixed media on canvas 73" x 83". Courtesy of the artist and Lyle O. Reitzel Gallery

Lyle O. Reitzel, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

September 18 - October 30, 2008

By Irina Leyva-Pérez

“Makishi Nikishi , African spirit” is the title of Jose Bedia’s latest solo exhibition  at Lyle O. Reitzel in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The exhibition consisted of a selection of fifteen pieces from 2003 to 2008, never before exhibited. In these pieces we can appreciate the main trends of his work during this period. As the title suggests, he is concentrating his attention on Africa. This is not a new tendency for him; it is actually one of the connecting threads that unifies his oeuvre. When we think about Bedia’s work over the past two decades, it has always been connected to Africa in one way or another. Especially in recent works, he explores the theme of its colonization. He is pointing out the way in which this process affected each participant, accentuating the good faith of the natives in their encounter. Some of the works, such as “Sika Sika,” illustrate this event in an almost narrative way. Bedia is bringing up and questioning the invasive process and its implications, present even today, for the African people.

Bedia’s interest in these themes goes back to the beginning of his career; however, since 2003 he has been sharing ideas with Manuel Jordan, anthropologist and friend. From this continuous exchange he has produced an extraordinary amount of work. Bedia is an artist who actively brings his work into his life. His anthropologic interest has led him to collect, and that has taken his work in new directions. It is a fluid process that goes from the collection to the work and the other way around. Bedia is interested in the object and its derivations, not only because of its aesthetic value but also its ‘function.’ He is looking at life and art from a magical perspective, and that is precisely what he reflects in his pieces. We can say that he creates a type of ‘anthropological art,’ not only because of the themes, but also because of the way he approaches the creation of the artwork itself.

One of the most prolific artists of his generation, Bedia is continually renovating his oeuvre. In an expressionistic style he is conveying his ideas, creating a sort of visual essay. These powerful images appear splattered onto the supporting surface, showing the force with which they were created.