ARIEL VARGASSAL (Mexico, 1979). "Feeding the... Lot 73

ARIEL VARGASSAL (Mexico, 1979). "Feeding the pride", 2021. Acrylic on canvas. Signed in the lower left corner. Size: 151 x 121,5 cm; 153,5 x 124,5 cm (frame). Ariel Vargassal paints dynamic scenes of humans and animals to address social issues through metaphors. Inspired by his Mexican heritage and indigenous traditions throughout the Americas, he identifies as a cultural commentator and storyteller. His paintings explore personal struggles, such as mental health, alongside pressing social issues related to inequality, race and gender. In his precisely rendered and carefully composed images, human figures interact with goats, hyenas, birds and other creatures. Her current series of zoomorphic portraits, Totems, presents these animals as symbolic representations of their subjects' inner selves or the challenges they face, simultaneously inviting the animals into human society and insisting on the interconnectedness of humans and the natural world.Vargassal was born into a family of richly mixed race culture. These cultural singularities introduced Ariel to an undeniable sense of style. He was always inclined towards the arts, and when he wasn't moulding small clay sculptures, he would turn to countless drawings in his notebook. It was only logical, therefore, that Ariel studied at the University of Mexico for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. As he studied the works of the great artists before him, his passion was ignited and his determination proved unstoppable. Upon graduation, Ariel became one of the youngest teachers to teach art in a Mexico City high school, and had the opportunity to exhibit his work in different venues, including the prestigious Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, and his first international exhibition was in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the Winter Olympics as the host city, representing the visual arts of Mexico. After this exhibition, Ariel received invitations to exhibit her work in galleries in the area, as well as offers elsewhere in the United States, so she decided to move to Los Angeles. Vargassal's work has been seen in various digital publications, books and television programmes. He has also had the good fortune to work with young Hollywood stars as models and clients. In addition to Mexico City, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, Ariel has shown her work in Arizona, San Francisco and New York. She is a member of the Los Angeles Art Association, one of the oldest and most prestigious art associations on the West Coast. She worked with international curators in early 2013, her work was featured at the International Surrealism Exhibition in Lisbon, Portugal, and she recently received invitations to exhibit in Canada, Germany and France.