Norah Hernández
Aguadilla, PR, 1946
Biography Details
Painter, sculptress and creator of installations. She spent over 30 years in San Francisco, California where she pursued independent studies in art and exhibited collectively in museums and galleries. She has participated in residencies at Ace project in Argentina and Takt Project in Germany. In addition, she has exhibited both individually and collectively in museums, galleries, educational and cultural centers in Puerto Rico, Korea, Japan, Monaco and the United States. Since 2005 she has lived in Puerto Rico. In 2009 she participated in Proyecto Arte Vivo at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico, which culminated with the Parchos por la Paz exhibit. In addition, she had solo shows at the Ponce Art Museum and Petrus Gallery in 2009. She also showed the Parchos por la Paz exhibit at the Museum of the Americas in San Juan in collaboration with Rafael Trelles, Elizam Escobar, Jeannette Betancourt, Mayrin Cruz Bernal, amongst others (2007). The artist has developed her unique technique using patterns, textile remnants and linen decorated with crochet.
Artist Statement
Life’s primal dichotomies such as birth/death, pain/joy, war/peace, have for many years unfolded as the main sources of inspiration in my art. Through a continuous process of inquiry, I combine different techniques and materials such as paint, clay, wax, and textiles among others, to reflect on their vast and mysterious meanings from ancient civilizations to today’s cultures.
All these ideas are somehow connected through mending; remanding and reusing materials as both a metaphorical and meditative process that allow me to understand the sense of life and my own existence.
I am drawn to its surrealistic symbolism and dark moody colors, which enable me to explore the primitive rituals of my roots in the Caribbean and Latin America. I am drawn to explore the meaning of the continuum, and redefine it in my work: both as medium and concept through repetitive, but irregular compositions which enables the audience secular views as drafted in history or the collective memory.
Norah Hernandez, 2009
Formation
Education
1989
- Indepedent art courses. San Francisco, California, United States
Professional Experience
2003-2006
- Assistant. Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2013
- Cuerpos de Luz, Fundación Angel Ramos, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- Cuerpo Presente, Cuerpos de luz, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Enmendando y Remendando, Galería Petrus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2007
- Parchos por la Paz, Museo de las Américas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2006
- Mapa de la Humanidad, Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005
- Presencia/Ausencia, Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2003
- Balancing Act, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, United States
Group Shows
2012
- Parada de Los Leones, Municipio de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
2011
- Chikitolina III, Centro Curatorial LA15, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2004
- Neográfica, Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2003
- Muestra Nacional, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001
- Black Madonna, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States
- Peace, War Memorial Museum, Seul, South Korea
- Indoor-Outdoor Sculpture, Santa Clara Civic Center, Santa Clara, California, United States
2000
- Landscapes, UNESCO, Monaco
- Human Evolution, World Trade Building, Osaka, Japan
1999
- Pop Art juried exhibition, Museo de las Américas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Casa de Espanto, SOMAR Gallery, San Francisco, California, United States
- Concepts Space 747, San Francisco, California, United States
- Materia Prima, Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1998
- California Landscapes: An Urban/Rural Dialogue, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, California, United States
1996-1997
- Selections juried exhibition, Academy of Art Gallery, San Francisco, California, United States
1995
- Grito Visual, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Fire Clay, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California, United States
- Annual Latino Women Exhibition, Mission Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, United States
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2010
- Residency. Proyecto Ace, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2009
- Residency. Takt Project, Germany
Collections
- UBS Financial, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Catalogues
Equilibrio/ Balancing Act, New Works by California Artists: Norah Hernández. Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, 2003.
Muestra Nacional de Artes Plásticas 2003. Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003.
Norah Hernández: Obra Reciente. Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2005.
The 5th International Group Show. Global Culture Center, Osaka, Japón, 2000.
Magazines
Ochoteco, Carlos. Norah Hernández y su Cuerpo presente. New Condado (San Juan, PR), noviembre-diciembre 2011, pp. 10-11.
Cros, Fernando. Las sombras blancas de Norah Hernández. Revista del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (San Juan, PR), 10, enero-junio 2011, pp. 20-25.
Torres Figueroa, Brenda. Norah Hernández: Cada una tiene un nombre. Artes (República Dominicana), 6, octubre-diciembre 2006. pp. 78-83.
Koppman, Debra. Norah Hernández. Art Week (California, EU), Vol 34, núm 4, mayo 2003. p.6.
Morris, Barbara. Concepts at Space. Art Week (California, EU), Vol. 30, núm 7/8, julio-agosto 1999.
Morris, Barbara. Hernández. Art Week (California, EU), julio-agosto 1999. P. 15.
Concepts. Revista (San Francisco, CA), 1999.
Sherma, Ann Elliot. California Dreaming. Metro (Santa Clara, CA). Marzo 3-12, 1998.
Newspapers
Rodríguez, Jorge. “Los leones andan sueltos en Plaza Las Delicias”. El Vocero (San Juan, PR), 10 de abril de 2012.
Rodríguez, Jorge. “Nuevo territorio pictórico en el arte”. El Vocero (San Juan, PR), 8 de septiembre de 2011, p. 49.
Blasor, Lorraine. “A Good Head for Art”. Caribbean Business (San Juan, PR), 14 de julio de 2005, p. 47.
Toledo Rohena, Vicente. “Norah Hernández: Arte en busca de equilibrio”. El Vocero (San Juan, PR), 4 de octubre de 2003, p. 14.
Molina, Antonio J. “Norah Hernández”. Diario-Metro (San Juan, PR), 16 al 22 de marzo de 2000, p. 5.