Santiago Gervasi

Artist Statement:

My paintings combine diverse moments of my past, present and perhaps even future.

Through symbols, shapes, color and space I emulate these moments, distorted and embellished by memory, emotion and other mental processes.
Some of the geometric figures and diverse imagery in my work refers to specific events or objects that have impacted me to the point that they found their way into my paintings, such as the frequently present trapezoid shapes that are referent to Inca architecture, where the doors and windows present that shape. The text is referent to diverse themes, such as literature, politics, history, spirituality, art, personal madness, graffiti and measurement.

The architectural element in my work is influenced by cities that I have visited or where I’ve lived. Old cities like Lima or Ciudad de México, places unique in their mixture of native, colonial and modern architecture.

Santiago Gervasi was born in Lima, Perú. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 80s, where he has been residing ever since. Gervasi has a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from the California
College of Arts and Crafts. Gervasi has shown his work extensively both locally and nationally. The galleries that have represented his work include Olga Dollar (S.F., CA) SFMOMA Artists Gallery (S.F. Gallery), Cervini-Haas Gallery (Scottsdale, AZ) and Bay Area Visual Arts Network (Oakland, CA).
His work has been reviewed in Art Week magazine, and has been featured in the TV show “Latin Eyes."