Leonel Matheu

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Leonel Matheu

Leonel Matheu was born in Havana, Cuba on October 2, 1967. He graduated at the Institute of Graphic Design of Havana, 1987. In 1992 he settled in Miami, Florida, U.S.A.

Matheu’s work narrates events of the modern world, where custom and technology intersect. He is primarily focused on the search for balance between urban and spiritual development in an innocent environment. There is where his iconography, akin to modern minimalist graphics, is brought face to face with, and transformed by primitive symbols from the ancient world.

Articles about Matheu appeared in Art in America, Art Nexus, Arte al Dia Internacional, Vanidades, Seis Continentes, The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, Sarasota Herald, The Gainsville Sun, Listin Diario, American Style, as well as many other national and international publications.

His most recent principal exhibitions had taken place at Dot Fiftyone Gallery at Wynwood Art District in Miami, Lyle O’Reitzel Gallery in Santo Domingo, Elite Fine Arts in Coral Gables, The University of Florida Galleries Museum in Gainsville, Medici Palace Museum in Tuscany, Italy; Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea in Florence, Italy, and Galerie Cieremans & Cie in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Matheu’s works are part of the permanent collection of prestigious museums in the United States such as The Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Mobile Museum of Art in Alabama, The University Art Museum in Radford University, The Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables; The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, and The College of Education at Florida International University in Miami.

In 2001 he received the Honorable Mention for the Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, in the 2000 the Chivas Regal Order of Distinction, and the Medal of Culture of Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

Recently during the week of ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH, Leonel Matheu presented his urban art project PEDESTRIART at the ART PARK in MIDTOWN MIAMI. This park is located in the Wynwood Art District, adjacent where all the satellite art fairs to Art Basel placed their temporary pavilions.

About

THE GALLERY
Dot Fiftyone is a Miami based gallery with a focus in contemporary emerging art. Founded in 2003 by Alfredo Guzman and Isaac Perelman, both from Argentina, the gallery aims to be a production laboratory for conceptual and contemporary art as much as an exhibition space. Dot Fiftyone’s objective is to create a conduit between the artists and the community local and global, by generating a flexible and mobile structure accessible to all. The directors select primarily emerging international artists whose work retains lasting impact and staying power. Workshops, educational television, lectures, events, as well as philanthropy, have all been part of the Dot program.

Though the gallery established its reputation as leaders in the world of contemporary Latin American art, today the gallery strives to erase the gap between geographically diverse cultures, as the directors believe these boundaries do not exist in the artists’ intentions.

Mr. Perelman is President of the Miami Art Dealers Association (MADA) and Mr. Guzman is a chairman on the Board of the Wynwood Arts District Association (WADA), reinforcing their involvement in the development of the arts in the city. Dot Fiftyone enjoys a strong collector base in, Miami, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Latin America.

Dot Fiftyone gallery introduces novel ways to raise the mission of a gallery in the XXI century. It is not enough, to simply showcase and promote the artists, but to actively interact with the social platform that fits in a space of this nature.

Galleries currently produce, not only artistic content for general consumption, but contemporary art as well, expanding their scope to other projects such as conferences, seminars, workshops and video samples and non-commercial films. Thus Dot Fifthyone seeks to break the isolation to engage actively in the life of the community, pushing the boundaries that define the relationship with the urban structure to which it belongs to, geographically.

ALFREDO GUZMAN
Dot Fiftyones Co Director – Alfredo Guzman became first Chair of 2B (non Profit Organization) in June of 2005. Previously he was part of the academic staff of the Buenos Aires State University, UBA where he was the professor for the “Expressive Medium I & II” for the “BA in Fashion & Textile Design” courses.

In the for profit sector he founded Dot Fiftyone Gallery in 2003, one the most promising art galleries in Miami, that focuses in promoting emerging and young established artists from USA and other regions. Between 1991 and 1996 he worked in Buenos Aires, Argentina as Fashion Producer and Art Director for different local TV networks, magazines, the San Martin Theatre and for Latin MTV Networks. From 1990 to 1994 Alfredo Guzman was the Creative Designer at Tedeum, avant-garde boutique where he developed his own clothing line. After that he moved to Miami to open Pachamama, a laboratory for emerging artists and furniture designers becoming one the pioneer to establish a commercial venue in the area that today is known as South of Five at South Beach. In 1997 he created The Flower Bazaar, a flower boutique where he worked as the Chief Creative Designer till 2004.Mr. Guzman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the Buenos Aires State University, UBA.

ISAAC PERELMAN
Dot Fiftyone's Gallery Co Director - Isaac Javier Perelman became First Vice–Chair of 2B (non Profit Organization) in June of 2005. Previously, he collaborated with The Central Agency for Jewish Education as active member of the International Miami Jewish Film Festival Committee. In 2001, he co-produced and directed that year’s film festival trailer. In 2002 he developed for the Department of Art & History, Florida International University the “First Encounter of Latin & South Florida Art at Seravezza city, Tuscany Region, Italy”.

He, along with Alfredo Guzman, founded Dot Fiftyone Gallery in 2003. Between 1993 and 2007, Mr. Perelman worked free lance as Creative Producer and Investigative Journalist for different TV Networks in Buenos Aires and Miami. From 1996 to 1999 he was Director of Communications, Marketing and Image Studio at D&P Asociados, (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Prior to that, he served as Communication Director for South America, Leger SA (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1993/96) and Manager of Studio Services at I Magnin Co (Beverly Hills CA USA, 1990/93).

Mr. Perelman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the Foundation of Higher Studies in Commercial Science, Buenos Aires, Argentina; an Associated of Art Degree from FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles CA and a Diploma in TV Production from RH Institute of Cinematography & Television, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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