Artist explores themes of resilience and fortune
Story by Sherry Mazzocchi
Franck De las Mercedes at work.
Franck de las Mercedes was wandering through Bryant Park with a camera when a homeless man said he could take his picture for five dollars.
The Washington Heights artist hesitated. He never felt comfortable taking photos of homeless people. When the man insisted, de las Mercedes simply gave him money. But the man said, “A deal’s a deal. Take the photo!” He struck a boxer’s stance as de las Mercedes snapped a picture.
The Champ is a painting based on that chance encounter.
Ofertorio, Greetings From Yankee Stadium is another work in the same style. It is on display at the Fifth Bronx Latin American Art Biennial, together with another piece titled Cuervo Azul The Fable of Omar, Tommy, Lucinda and The Hidden Muse. The exhibit is located at several different venues in the borough, with works by many Latin American artists including Scherezade García, Patrick McGrath Muñiz and Ezequiel Taveras.
The show that included de las Mercedes’ work is at the BronxArtSpace. Its theme is “I am one of those people that…”
Read more: Choice and Chance | Manhattan Times
For more information about the Bronx Latin American Art Biennial, please visit http://bit.ly/2dAzo7C. For more about Franck de las Mercedes, please visit franckdelasmercedes.com.
Ofertorio, Greetings From Yankee Stadium, 2015
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