COUNTRY September 9, 2005

Hogar Collection is pleased to present ?Country?, September 9- October 10, 2005, an exhibition of works from artists represented by Belleza y Felicidad Gallery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that will run concurrently with another exhibition under the same name with the same artists at The Consulate General of Argentina in New York City,September 7 - September 30, 2005. Country is a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring 13 distinguished artists who are working within the cultural panorama and embody a wide scope of certain particular characteristics of Argentina?s contemporary art scene. Born from the idea that art is a living body that is mobile and joins with our daily culture, the works in this exhibition contrast and dialogue with one another as they question different social languages where video, painting, drawing, installation, photography and fashion form a unit of sense without losing their own identities.

*Opening reception at The Consulate of Argentina, located at 12 west 56th St., New York, NY 10019, is September 7th from 6-8pm. Gallery hours: Monday - Friday 11-5

*Opening reception at Hogar Collection is September 10, from 6-9 pm. with a fashion show by featured artists Manuel Brandazza and Diego de Aduriz.

*On Saturday, September 24th, 7pm. at Hogar Collection will be a performance by featured artist Juan Allaria and his band Holly Stoker.

*On October 8th, 7pm at Hogar Collection will be a screening of featured artist Ruy Krygier?s movie, ?Pastillas?.

Javier Barilaro?s work combines texts of Latin American writers with a borrowed esthetic of Cumbia posters, a contemporary Latin urban hip- hop inspired from traditional folk music. His work is included in some of the most important collections in Argentina. In 2004 he received
Arte BA?s Best in Show prize for his ?red project? and he is included in the traveling exhibition ?Civilización y Barbarie? that is currently traveling to several principal museums in Latin America including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago, Chile and The Ruffino Tamayo Museum in Mexico City and others.

Guillermo Ueno travels through almost all practices of photography from still life to portraiture and landscape. He always chooses at the moment of shooting or mounting the picture to take out all signs of artificiality, presenting an austere and disturbing beauty. His work is part of
the Museum of Modern Art Collection, Buenos Aires and the Latin American Art Museum (MALBA), Buenos Aires. He is also part of the exhibition ?Civilización y Barbarie?.

Vicente Martin Grondona?s large drawings on canvas invoke references to classical works of art. He is currently working on a version of Bernini?s, ?Saint Theresa?s Ecstasy? in charcoal and another which is an homage to the people who died in the mines of Rio Turbio in 2004, where the charcoal he uses comes from.

Lola Goldstein?s small paintings in watercolor and pencil are childlike narratives that suggest feelings of awkwardness and mystery. She is also included in ?Civilización y Barbarie?.

Ruy Krygier?s videos and installations fuse the primary subjects of ?dreams?, ?detective stories? and ?fragmented personalities?. Through the mixture of certain sensations, he searches to involve the spectator and achieve a hypnotic and hallucinatory effect. His work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe and is in the collection of the Latin American Art Museum (MALBA) in Buenos Aires. He received a prize at the UNCIPAR festival and has participated in UNICA 98 in Austria and is part of the exhibition ?Civilización y Barbarie?.

Cecilia Szalkowicz?s photographs work in a context that suggest a modification of their natural surroundings. Her work is part of the Photography collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Buenos Aires and she has been invited to the Puerto Rico Biennale. Currently she is
participating in the scholarship for artists directed by Guillermo Kuitka.

Agustin Inchausti?s work is made with humble materials with which he configures a sort of primitive art of alchemic beauty. His work is part of the most important collections in Argentina, and as well in 1991 he received the artist scholarship directed by Guillermo Kuitka.

Florence Böhtlingk?s large paintings relate to scenes of life in nature. Using Latin American and na?ve language her landscapes contain mysteries, the discomfort of us being rare characters. She has had numerous solo shows in Argentina and was part of a group show in Hogar collection in 2004. Her work is part of the Arte BA collection as well as many private collections and in 1994 she received Guillermo Kuitka ?s artist scholarship.

Carlos Huffman makes drawings that become objects. He overturns everything in conceptual installations and has an exquisite visual sense. His work brings ?the contemporary? into a time that is lost in the past. He is currently finishing his MFA at Cal Arts and in 2003 he had a
solo show at ArteBA fair in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

When Juan Allaria draws, he likes to pretend that he is the things he once feared, from Gene Simmons, The United States and God. He materializes visually what once scared him instead of evading them. He assembles psychedelic paths of Hippies, Christs and Demons that come together to form a sacred co-existence.

Clara Domini is probably the most peculiar artist of Buenos Aires artist circuit. She is one of the promoters of ?the political and romantic trash?. Her works are very straightforward drawings of clothes that propose a certain anti-fashion of the beautiful and fragile, which are punk and romantic. Her work is included in many collections in Argentina, The Untied States and Europe; as well her design has appeared in ID magazine.

Diego de Aduriz and Manuel Brandazza are collaborative designers that work with clothing in a pictorial way. Each piece is conceived as a unique piece of art where they used thread and other things to make drawings on the clothes. They have shown at MALBA and are also included in ?Civilización y Barbarie?. In 2005 they were selected by ID magazine, as part of the 250 people that will shape the future of Art.