Carpaneda's painting "Jesus Christ" was sold at the "Take Home a Nude" art auction at Sotheby's, an event organized by the New York Academy of Art. In addition, he has been selected for the Long Island Biennial 2024 at the Heckscher Museum of Art and received an award from the curator of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum.
Mosh-Pit
Acrylic on Canvas, 16"x20", 2024
Shrouded Truths: The Dance of Denial
Acrylic on Canvas, 20"x20", 2024
I sometimes come across artists that I just have to let the world know about and Fernando Carpaneda is one of those artists, but be warned, because Carpaneda’s work is very confronting and will be not be to everyone’s taste. Those willing to keep an open mind and explore Carpaneda’s work will be glad they did because he is a truly amazing artist. A brave artist too. Brave enough to use rent boys, thieves, punks, goths, homeless people, and other unsavoury types as the subject of his work. If you are intrigued then please read on. When I first saw a picture of one of Carpaneda’s works I didn’t know what I was looking at. What I saw looked like a photo of a person but had a surreal element to it that suggested that there was more to Carpaneda’s work than the image revealed. As soon as I found out that I was looking at a clay sculpture I was completely blown away. The level of detail and the amount of work put into each sculpture is quite astonishing especially for a clay sculpture. To give each sculpture a personal association with the person they depict, Carpaneda uses objects connected to that person in the sculpture. Carpaneda says about his work on his website that: “All his portraits are like a relic, a holy place, a moment caught in time. He uses objects that have a connection to the portrayed person to composing his work, such as cigarette butts, condoms, beer cans, underwear, semen, empty toothpaste boxes. In other words, things that are part of these people’s real world, and his own. He uses such objects and remains as a beginning for his portraits” Most of the people we see on a day to day basis whether it be at work or at social event dress and prepare their appearance so that the look as one would expect a normal person leading a normal life to look. Most of the people that Carpaneda depicts, however, dress and prepare their appearance in a way that reflects their true personality. These are the sort of people one would normally want to stare at but would try and refrain from doing so because we are taught that it is rude to stare. Instead of depicting the perfect male figure that most people are familiar with as a result of classical sculptors, Carpaneda utilizes classical methods and materials to construct highly detailed analogues of what many would consider to be the outcasts of society. A classical sculpture of a nude male figure is an image that almost everyone is familiar with and is able to view without feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed or repulsed. A sexualised image of a homosexual male, however, is a totally different story. Carpaneda’s sculptures challenge our perceptions of gender and identity as well as questioning the labels that society put on people who do not conform to the accepted norm. Yes, his work is confronting and will not be to every one’s liking but it is undeniably the work of a talented artist who is not afraid of challenging the boundaries of artistic practice and confronting viewers with the issues of stigma and division in modern society.
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of artmarketblog.com writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many others. July 6, 2009 (biography, arts news)
"Punk Rodin" Reinterpretation of Rodin Sculpture "The Age of Bronze" Water Based Clay, Mixed Medium.
Fernando Carpaneda's sculptures were featured in "On Our Backs: The Revolutionary Art of Queer Sex Work." The exhibition explored the history of queer sex work culture and its intimate ties to art and activism.
2024 - Arkell Museum.
Art of New York
2023 - The Long Island History Museum.
Perfect 10. The 10th annual members-only exhibition.
2023 - The Long Island Museum. SOMOS/WE ARE: Latinx Artists of Long Island
2022 - The Heckscher Museum of Art.
Long Island Biennial
2022 - Kenosha Public Museum.
The Acrylic International Biennial.
2019 - Leslie Lohman Museum of Art
"On Our Backs: The Revolutionary Art of Queer Sex Work"
2024 - Honorable Mention in Painting by
curator David Houston, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum. South Arkansas Arts Center
2019 - Award of Excellence in Painting by Art League of Long Island, NY.
2019 - Honorable Mention in Painting by Huntington Arts Council, Long Island, NY.
2016 - Juror's Choice for Visual Art at the Seattle Erotic Art Festival.
Fernando Carpaneda Sculptures Appear in the Award-Winning Film, "The Nearest Human Being". Directed by Marco Coppola, the film features actors Charlie Hofheimer, Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Robert W. Smith, Dan Shaked. The film won the best feature at the Manhattan Film Festival in 2019.
Fernando Carpaneda art works was on display at Times Square June 18, 2012 in giant screens bright LEDs during the opening of the exhibition ART TAKES TIMES SQUARE. The scale of the exhibition was extraordinary and seen by more than half a million people.
"Back to the Bowery" featured rare, never-before-exhibited 70's era photographs showcasing The Ramones, The Dead Boys, and more by John Santanello. The exhibition also included original photographs featuring The Velvet Underground & Nico by famed photographer Billy Name, and presented the artwork of Walter Steding. Additionally, the exhibition featured avant-garde violin performances and sculptures by artist Fernando Carpaneda, along with works by pioneer punk photographer Roberta Bayley. Also on display were rock and roll photographs and pin-ups by Mark Sweeney, NYC street photos by famed phantom photographer Josh Wertheimer, and works by "The Man Who Shot the 70s," the infamous Mick Rock. The exhibition included works by Interview Magazine/Warhol photographer and Night Magazine founder, Anton Perich, who was also the designer and builder of the electric painting machine. It also featured works by Elaine Mayes, author and photographer of "It Happened in Monterey," 1980's nightlife photographer Sharon Smith, and the mythic punk and beyond photographer Godlis. Celebrity News www.cbgb.com/
Fernando Carpaneda's exhibitions at CBGB's included "Back to the Bowery," "The Bowery Electric Festival: A Tribute to Joey Ramone," and "Vinnie Wartlip Retrospective." These exhibitions featured prominent figures from Andy Warhol's The Factory, such as photographer Billy Name, who designed The Factory, among others.
Owner and Founder of Carpazine Art Magazine.
New York, New York, United States
