"Liberdade Abstrata" by Arlin

First Amendment Gallery is pleased to present “Liberdade Abstrata”, a collection of new work from Brazilian street artist Arlin. Join us for the opening reception Friday, November 18, 2016, from 6:30-9:30PM. The event is free and open to the public, Arlin will be in attendance.

Birds, with the ability to fly and courage to claim the sky, are a natural symbol of the freedom of an inspired being. Undertaking the challenge of constructing one’s own freedom is like building one’s wings piece by piece, taking the form of a bird and flying without limits through the world. The lack of this freedom results in atrophy, like a bird with clipped wings and bound feet. Earthbound. Liberdade Abstrata is for the free bird in all of us who has not given in to the pressure to conform, who still sees the infinite possibilities of being.

As a child growing up surrounded by caged birds in his small home in rural Brazil, Arlin watched his father build wooden cages in order to trap these colorful and majestic birds in order to keep them for himself. The artist never understood why small divine beings with beautiful wings made to fly were destined to live trapped in small prisons, deprived of the freedom to spread their wings and to choose their own destinations. In Liberdade Abstrata, the artist remembers all of those geometric wood pieces that his father cut in order to build wooden cages and mixes them with pure geometric forms, vivid street art colors and vector graphics to build the wings of these birds, giving them freedom to return to flight.

This exhibition ignites meaning in those who have lost touch with their innate instincts and have simply given up on their dreams, choosing instead to live a life of conformity. To follow your own instincts is to build your own form of freedom, regardless of how abstract it may be--it is your own way to be free.

“Liberdade Abstrata” will be on display until December 15, 2016. For inquiries or catalog requests contact artsales@1amgallery.com.