Essay - Jorge Vera:

In English, a fish, is a fish. In Spanish, the creature known as un pez does not become un pescado (a fish) until it is caught and taken out of its element. Un pez is "unfished"; a pescado is fished. My focus on transformation and nature culture has yielded a playful body of work that thrives in metaphor, reaches for more, and at the same time seeks to navigate the seas of quiet contemplation.

Thematically, I am energized by the historical realities that influenced my formative years in Peru and my development as an adult. My work explores many elements: the experience of dreaming, symbolism, shared perception and action. I strive to challenge the literal mind as it searches for meaning. My experience of being is challenged by external points of reference and symbols I relate to in conscious and unconscious memory. As I look for images to capture around me, I am moved by those that trigger a subtle recognition of a past vision, be it from a dream or waking life.

In my Gone Fishing series, I use the fish as an autobiographical symbol and the basis for my aesthetic exploration of cultural values. The series reflects my lifelong quest for meaning. I am the hungry fish. I cannot help but see similarities between man and fish; they share parallels in both behavior and shared destiny, fish thrive in a rare liquid medium just as men immerse themselves in a world of predicable outcomes. The item that the fish craves -- the luscious lure - often can become the instrument of torment and ultimate demise.