Special Edition #001
Welcome to Blue Room's FIRST mid-week SPECIAL EDITION. This week we have a deep dive into ART and our trip to Dallas, TX. Enjoy, Explore and Share.
We believe that art pushes wonder, wonder pushes possibility, which pushes us to imagine the unimaginable and break through boundaries.
AT BLUE ROOM WE SURROUND OURSELVES WITH ART, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY—FROM THE MCA OCTOPUS INITIATIVE INSTALLATION INSIDE OUR DENVER HQ TO OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIONARY ARTIST EDUARDO SARABIA.
We followed Eduardo to Dallas to experience his opening at the Dallas Contemporary and see his work featured at the internationally acclaimed Dallas Art Fair. Please enjoy as we share our tales from the trip and inspiration from Eduardo.
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE
EDUARDO SARABIA
The Mexican Hacienda appears in the 16th century during the colonial era as a result of the distribution of land. From the rural area, the haciendas were closely linked to the country’s economic system according to their activity (agricultural, livestock, sugar or pulquera) and were architecturally compromised as the residence of their workers and owners, depending on their production needs, always in relation to their natural environment. Its use and organization was abandoned in 1917 and towards the eighties of the 20th century its recovery became crucial for cultural and socio-anthropological studies in Mexico. For this exhibition at Dallas Contemporary, the artist Eduardo Sarabia approaches the notion of “Home” to address different aspects of his work that have been present for years. Understood as historical and cultural heritage, the hacienda is a symbol of a broad history; in THIS MUST BE THE PLACE it is evoked to explore the notion of inhabiting, of past and future, and above all as a kind of omen about the exterior and interior space that is projected in our individual and collective history.
Eduardo Sarabia and Return of the Naturalist, 2020
The recent work of Eduardo Sarabia (Los Angeles, 1976) expands an aesthetic language and thematic lines that have been transformed over the years, reflecting the artist’s socio-cultural environment, but also the modifications in his way of understanding the link between the inside and outside of people. His ceramic work has transformed from being a playful and fun device for dialogue on sensitive issues in Mexico and the border, to becoming a support that can also narrate personal and autobiographical events of the author, his life experience and his relationship with popular culture. Through painting, he portrays specific moments of his travels that, however personal they may be, leave an open path for interpretation and finding our own reverberation in those scenes; the sculpture, the drawing, the mural, frequently cite references to the knowledge of the original cultures in Mexico: the Sacred Ceiba appears, the Quetzal, the search for a treasure that beyond the material points towards the possibility of abundance in different senses.
Oasis, 2020
Since 2019, Sarabia’s work has become more personal and spiritual, related to a mysticism that allows him to build new ways of understanding and imagining the future, and to offer us alternatives to face the tensions of the environment. In the series I AM ANOTHER YOU (2022), the artist extends a journey into palmistry, tarot, astrology and other methods of ancestral knowledge and inner revelation. This knowledge, as well as the references to Mayan and Aztec mysticism, allow the artist to appeal to the imagination and to a place of spiritual reflection that connects the human being with the biosphere, the universe, and his own energetic potential. In THIS MUST BE THE PLACE an idea of the future is reflected that the artist takes advantage of to project a desire, but also to encompass the different references and lines of research in his work.
Untitled, Collection of Hand-painted Ceramics
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE takes the structure of a traditional Mexican Hacienda. We can find the central patio, inhabited by the mystical evocations to the Ceiba and nature motifs which are part of the language of Sarabia: the birds in danger of extinction, the Quetzal, the Fungi world, the green vines. All these species that link his work to the strength of the natural environment. In the background we can see the Cava, perhaps the space that most reminds us of the Game or what it is Playful in the work of this artist: the importance of humor, the party as a ritual, the possibilities of encounter in collective joy, a fraternal sense. The Cava of course transports us to the tequila haciendas in Jalisco. In the Dining Room and kitchen there is a large part of his work dedicated to all that is home related: plates, cups, containers that cite memory around the culinary rite -important in so many cultures- all the objects that can rarely be seen in his exhibitions but that are present in his friends houses, collections and his own home. The Main Corridor presents a group of recent oil paintings on landscapes and gardens that are reminiscent of Painting History, the frame as a window to the different realities perceived by artists. The Studio is the space that cites the author’s different lines of research over time and is the preamble to entering the Chapel, the room in which two stained glass pieces made expressly for this exhibition are presented, evoking both his interest in mystical and spiritual methodologies of interpretation of the future. That's the reason We can find a giant vase maybe related to plenitude, and the presence and power of day and night, the sun and the moon, as elements that affect and enrich us in their changes and their dance.
Magic Moment, 2020
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is presented as one of the largest individual exhibitions of the artist Eduardo Sarabia in different perspectives, and shows us the different forms that his own particular aesthetic code constitutes a personal language. As usually happens in Sarabia’s work, here everything refers to his personal history, his professional interests and research, the relationship between the past (ancestral knowledge, popular art, craft methodologies, Mexican tradition) and the present, through the adaptation and contemporary interpretation of colonial architecture. This show has the intention of opening discursive gaps that surpass the cliché and allow us to imagine the future with the tools that provide us with understanding our individual and social history. This Must Be The Place opens the possibility of imagining ourselves in a bright future, of dreaming, traversed by the influence and learning with and from others, from the present but also from our history.
Video Library
Eduardo Sarabia
Jose Noe Suro, Ceramica Suro
George W. Bush Presidential Library
In a world populated by chatGPT -
where you can substitute the personal with the artificial -
we believe that what we FEEL is more important than ever.
we must look for it, be inspired by it, support it, build it, fight for IT.
To be moved, to move others. To innovate not only by harnessing the brain but also using the heart, the gut and our thousands of hours of logged experiences.
There is no formula for ART — no code, no artifice, no short cut. We gratefully experience what the artist has made so that we can feel, relate and innovate.
Here is to Blue Room’s commitment to those who authentically create — whether it be through art, regenerative farming, attainable housing, fund strategy or stock research.
We believe there is no capital like human capital — to inspire and to be inspired. Our trip south reminded us to connect and push past boundaries.
—DALLAS, TX—
Shared meals and ideals— we took in Tex Mex, Terry Black’s Bbq, crafted signage and the best street art north of the border.
— EDUARDO SARABIA. Exhibit: THIS MUST BE THE PLACE. —
Our muse and partner at the Dallas Contemporary opening.
(and a bit of his birthday party afterwards)
— Feliz Cumpleaños Eduardo —
— THE DALLAS ART FAIR —
Internationally acclaimed. Find the Sarabias.
I first met Eduardo via Zoom during the very first Thursday Global Blue Room meetings where Blue Room and friends gathered to share stories and learn more about each other. I was immediately struck by Eduardo’s positivity, light-hearted nature, humility and creativity.
Piayuki, 2014
It also took me a while to realize that his latest series of works at the time, like the one above, were completely handmade. I had always thought the background was an actual photograph, and the paint strokes were his signature touch. I was blown away when I discovered he in fact painted the entire piece.
What I also liked about Eduardo was that he was completely genuine. I assumed artists sat down and contemplated how to go about creating their works and the brand they wanted to present to the world. Maybe Eduardo does this, but after getting to know him, it appears that his ideas just happen. And not only that—there’s always a cool story behind everything he does. Like the above work, it turns out that at some point he began to use old photographs as palettes, and then one day he had the idea to paint the photograph with the blobs of paint and have that be his work. And somehow, with Eduardo’s unique magic, it worked.
What is neat about Eduardo is his ability to incorporate his own personal life and experiences into his work. Like me, his parents also descend from Mexico. And he has since made it his home. He doesn’t limit himself to just painting—he has expanded into the third dimension with porcelain works of art. He incorporates themes of Mexico-U.S. border entrepreneurialism that inevitably get intermingled with narco-trafficking and smuggling operations which are sad yet undeniable realities of the region, and Eduardo doesn’t shy away from them.
Desert Dreams, 2013
Some of my favorite works of his are his depictions of the ceiba tree and the quetzal. They are cartoon-like yet simple, beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, which is one of my favorite styles of art. Admittedly I first thought “that’s kind of random, but still pretty cool” when I first saw these works, but of course, after learning more about the pieces, I became even more fascinated. They are the result of Eduardo’s personal journeys to southern Mexico where he learned more about his ancestors’ spiritual practices and later questioning why in modern times we rarely tend to these matters, and that perhaps we should resurrect these practices. I would have to agree.
Ceiba con aves I, 2022
I am consistently impressed with Eduardo’s talent and versatility, am honored to have him be a friend and partner of Blue Room, and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
I was extremely thrilled to get the chance to visit the Dallas Art Fair and see Eduardo Sarabia’s art catalog.
Collection of Silk Screen Prints
It was an amazing experience to visualize Mr. Sarabia’s breadth and depth of skill. The diversity of mediums from paint on canvas to ceramic was outstanding. When walking into the exhibit on Wednesday, I was welcomed by the hacienda which felt like a step into the mind of Mr. Sarabia himself. It was totally immersive and I felt instantly transported to the complexities of Mexican culture, both historic and modern. The best part about the trip was coming together as a team and celebrating both BLUE ROOM’s and Eduardo’s accomplishments. Since the inception of Studio 1 in Mexico, the sheer proliferation of Eduardo’s work has absolutely skyrocketed. I am glad that I am able to be a part of the experience.
Nick Peart, Naia Morse, Ian Carter, from left.
I love the trading card feel that the works in this photo convey. As an investor, we have a propensity to collect various items, not only for value, but also for the warm and fuzzy sentimental feeling that you get every time you revisit them. The combination of nature, culture and personal history really resonate with the viewer.
I've been to Texas a few times before but have not been able to spend much time in Dallas, so being able to explore the city with the Blue Room team and celebrate all of Eduardo’s work was really special!
The Dallas Art District draws a lot of similarities between Denver’s own Santa Fe Arts District and RiNo District with the painted murals throughout the area and multiple galleries and museums located around the city. Eduardo’s exhibit, which displayed all of his various works in the same room was alluring as each section of the room took you through different mediums that Eduardo has used, from his iconic large scale paintings, to beautiful ceramics, and then smaller works which included pictures and drawings — all with symbolism tying back to parts of his life and interests. To add to the significance of the trip, it was also Eduardo’s birthday which made the trip just that much more special for the team to be there celebrating both events with him.
In addition to the art, Dallas spoiled us with delicious food, including the local favorite Terry Black’s which serves classic Texas barbecue. If you’re planning on visiting soon, I would recommend the beef brisket, jalepeño cheddar sausage and mac and cheese.
Altiplano, 2022
As art is a core aspect of our daily life and philosophy at Blue Room, we were all so happy to support Eduardo at his exhibit opening at the Dallas Contemporary Art Museum. Walking through the exhibit, it felt like we had entered into a little world Eduardo had created for us all to enjoy, as pieces from his various mediums and sizes over the years created an immersive feeling that somehow it was more than just a display of artworks. The symbols from Eduardo’s life scattered through each piece made his story feel so familiar when it wasn’t just something visitors looked at but rather something they were invited inside into. As beautiful as the pictures of the pieces look, experiencing them in person exuded a sense of the mastery and intentionality that went into creating each brush stroke on the canvas. For our whole research team to make the trip out to the exhibit in person made the trip to Dallas even more special. Even though This Must Be The Place set a high bar, I’m already looking forward to seeing Eduardo’s next shows that I’m sure will further build on that intangible connection to somewhere unknown to me but made to feel familiar through the beauty of art.
The Sun, 2023
Untitled, Hand-painted Ceramic Tiles
Return of the Naturalist, 2020
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