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Juan Butten: An Artist Who Transcends the Conventional
By: Alfonso Tejada
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Juan Butten Exhibits at “Casas + Islas” from May 17 to August 4 at Urban Art Museum, Proyectos Punto Gallery in Salem, Massachusetts
Juan Butten is participating in the “Casas + Islas” exhibition at Proyectos Punto Gallery, showcasing his recent works created from solid waste collected from various beaches in our country.
This exhibition is the result of a masterful observer challenging our perception of beauty through a meticulous study of the environment, exploring painted walls and abandoned facades. Lottery booths, business facades, corner stores, and vernacular houses are adorned with graffiti, signs of time, and picturesque messages ranging from the comic to social critique. These pieces tell stories full of character and soul without the need to represent characters directly.
“This exhibition is the result of a masterful observer challenging our perception of beauty through a meticulous study of the environment.”
Art critic Flor María Lorenzo notes that Butten goes beyond merely displaying the material, blending its essence with Dominican folklore and idiosyncrasies. He creates a “contemporary urban genre scene,” reinterpreting the work of genre artists like Yoryi Morel from the early 20th century. This results in a metamorphosis of characteristic elements: flamboyants become streetlights; rural cottages become lottery booths; and market stalls become corner stores—a panorama that represents our current existence, for better or worse.
In “Fase Uno,” nature is excluded, making a strong environmental statement. The installation, depicting a neighborhood block “floating” without trees and mountains, symbolizes the island’s risk of drifting away due to plastic pollution.
“His art invites us to reconfigure our perspective, discover beauty in unexpected places.”
Butten’s work transcends conventional art, provoking a deep reflection on the interconnection between humans and their environment. His art invites us to reconfigure our perspective, discover beauty in unexpected places, question Dominican identity, and marvel at the small details. Through his critical eye and technical mastery, he urges us to rethink our role and responsibility towards the planet we inhabit.
About the Artist:
Juan Butten was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and currently lives in New York. He is a multidisciplinary artist who combines his knowledge from various branches of the arts.
His recent miniature works are predominantly created from recycled materials collected from the beaches of the Dominican Republic. Juan Butten has held solo exhibitions such as “Transgresión Morfológica” at the Instituto Cultural Dominico Americano in Santo Domingo (2007), “Catarsis” at UNESCO in Santo Domingo (2008), and “Fase Uno” at the Centro Cultural de España in Santo Domingo (2023).
In these recent works, Butten invites us to reflect on the plastic crisis on our island and its future impact—a pressing concern given the warnings that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in our oceans.
