Deredia and The Cosmic Mystery of Creation

MIAMI, November 10, 2022 - The Wall Gallery is pleased to announce its inaugural exhibition entitled Deredia  and the Cosmic Mystery of Creation. The thirteen sculptures in bronze and marble on display enable an intimate  encounter with Deredia's work and provide the artist's response to the universal questions of creation and meaning. 

Deredia's work handles the omnipresent mysteries of creation - where do we come from? what are we doing? where  are we going? - and offers the viewers symbols and forms with which to consider the answers. In this exhibit, Deredia  proposes that human beings share in the legacy of the formation of the universe. He shows how the creation that  erupted out of nothingness at the moment of the Big Bang persists as human beings continue to be born of the  material produced in the universe's genesis. "We are stardust in transmutation," Deredia emphasizes, and privileged  to participate in the great cosmic process.  

Deredia's sculptures have been crafted with grace and care and reveal a deep respect for both the materials and  the creative process. Notable works such as Inicio Cosmico and Energía Atávica embody Deredia’s iconic sculptural  language and harmonize the modern and the primitive, the gentle and the bold. 

Born Jorge Enrique Jiménez Martinez on October 4, 1954 in Heredia, Costa Rica, he later adapted the surname  Deredia from his native city. Deredia's deep connection to his place of birth drives his work and is apparent in his  spherical forms reminiscent of Costa Rica's Boruca stones. Deredia discovered sculpture as an adolescent. His early  engagement with local studios led to a scholarship to the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy, an opportunity that  enabled both his exposure to the works of Italian masters and his access to the beautiful stone found in Carrara's  quarries. With the mind of a philosopher, the strength of a construction worker, and the artistic pragmatism of an  architect, Deredia forged a distinct style infused with an unmistakable connection to his Costa Rican heritage. 

In 2000, Pope John Paul II commissioned a statue of Saint Marcellin Champagnat for Saint Peter's Basilica, the first  work by a Latin American artist acquired by the Vatican. Deredia has also shown his art at the Venice Biennial and  has worn numerous awards including a nomination of “Academic Correspondent of the Class of Sculpture” from the  Academy of Florentine Design Arts, an honor associated with Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Palladio, and Titian.  Deredia’s work has been displayed throughout Latin America and Europe: in Guatemala and Mexico, in Italy,  France, Spain, Germany, and Holland; in China and Peru; and across the United States. He has a special bond with  Miami and received the keys to the city in 2022. 

The Wall Gallery's solo exhibition coincides with Deredia, A Bridge of Light, a collection of sculpture presently  displayed in Miami's Maurice A. Ferré Park. Although many of the pieces have been previously shown in cities  across Latin American and Europe, this is the first outdoor exhibition of  Deredia's work in the United States. A gift  from the artist to the city of Miami, the sculptures provide the viewer with archetypes and symbols to guide them  along the journey of life. A Bridge of Light is open through March 2023. 

The exhibition at The Wall Gallery will open on November 10 and run through the end of the month. A fully  illustrated catalog will be available.