Luis Rokeach is a Buenos Aires born artist photographer based in Montreal, and having an international career. About the photographs of Luis Rokeach it is said: “Just to take the time to delight our eyes, to take the time to offer us the beauty, to take the time to tell us through his images the story of human beings and that of life itself, always with a touching delicacy and depth. There are times that the subtle colours are like whispers that warm the heart. Luis Rokeach is able to go beyond photography looking for the essence that makes us dream. " (A. Baghdadi, chairman of Closerie Editions, Beverly Hills, California). "Through his photos, you can see the look of the artist, who knows so well how to capture the beauty hidden beyond the scope of our daily lives, and that he reveals to us in a manner that is out of our time, by giving to his images an impression of eternity.” (A. Munoz, Montreal)

Tell us about the background of this exhibition?
“This show comes to Montreal as an event organized by the Consulate General of Argentina in Montreal. Most definitely, it is a great honour for me to have this event organized by the Argentine Consulate to exhibit my photographs on Tango, and I am certainly happy to present my work in this framework. I also want underscore the generosity of Centro Cultural Simón Bolivar, of the Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, to house my exhibit”

Why choosing Tango as a subject for this exhibition?
“As a photographer, I want to capture the beauty and the emotion in the subjects surrounding us, be them figurative or abstract. Dance as a form of art-in-movement is amenable to both forms of expression, figurative and abstract. But Tango is not just a dance, it is a culture and, for some, it is a form of life.

While born from the interbreeding of African and Argentine folk influences, Tango has evolved through the different waves of European immigration. Today, it is a complex musical form, reminiscent of classical music, jazz and contemporary music. It is certainly fascinating that Tango affects all people around the Globe. This is because everyone finds a piece of his/her culture in it. So not surprisingly, UNESCO recognized Tango as part of the intangible heritage of humanity.

This series is a representation of Tango dancers, arriving to the dance floor as individuals, gradually mixing in through the music and the dance, to finally blend within the space-time of Tango. So my exhibition goes from figurative to being increasingly abstract. In each one of the images that I present, my quest is to convey movement and emotion. In the case of abstract images my intent is that the beholder could make his/her own representation against the background of his/her inner psychological world and life experiences.”

According to Luis Rokeach: “Poetry is found in everyday life, in Nature, in the world. Often imperceptible to most of people, poetry reveals itself to the eye of the artist. Poets record it with ink and paper, photographers write it with light. My intention is to tell a story with each image that I capture, or in fact to tell as many stories as people see for themselves. My desire is that the emotions evoked by my photographs become stories colored by the life experiences and the perceptions of the observer. As it is the beholder who gives to art its fourth dimension.”

Luis Rokeach was born in Buenos Aires and has lived in different places in the world: Argentina, Israel, Belgium, Denmark, California, and currently lives in Montreal. His vast international experience has provided him with a vision that is Universalist and sensitive to diverse cultures. His education in arts and photography is through workshops in art academies, photo associations, and creative experimentation. Luis is also a research scientist (genetics) by formal education. He expresses his creative passion through photography, writing, painting, theatre, and science. Luis Rokeach has exposed in Tel Aviv, Brussels, Odense, San Diego, New York, and Montreal.

Centro Cultural Simón Bolívar
394, Boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest
Montreal Qc H3A 1L4 Canada
Tel. +1 (514) 8438033
ccsb@consulvenemontreal.org
www.ccsbmontreal.org

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