From left to right: Jorge Manghi, Jorge Simes, Atilio Berardi Hueda y Marcelo Boffi
Picture Argentine Consulate in Chicago
The Argentine community in the Midwest of the United States is characterized by being composed of prominent figures in the artistic, scientific, academic and business fields.
Through the section "Distinguished Argentines in the Midwest” the Consulate has the intention to display the achievements of our citizens in this region and their relationship with Argentina.
We believe it is a good way of getting closer to our compatriots, knowing their concerns and discussing ways to improve the relationship between the Consulate and our community.
In this context, on May 4th, the Consulate was pleased to welcome the artist Jorge Simes
Jorge was born in Cordoba in 1960, where he made his first steps into the world of painting.
Throughout the 80s he exhibited in various galleries in the city of Buenos Aires including the Cultural Center of Buenos Aires City and the Ruth Benzacar Gallery.
He also received important distinctions such as the Shaw Award of the National Academy of Fine Arts (Buenos Aires, Argentina), the Gold Medal and Silver of the Belgrano University (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Manuel Belgrano Award of the Sivori Museum (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
In 1988, with his wife Cindy, he made the decision to settle in Chicago.
Since then, he has taken his art to the most important venues (Argentina, United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain Mexico, Uruguay and Japan) and won numerous awards for his work.
Today his activity is divided into his artistic labor and, through "Simes Studios", in performing fine decorative art and design works.
Even though being based in Chicago, Jorge maintains a close relationship with Argentina and the artistic reality of our country.
With regard to the situation of Argentine art in the United States, Jorge believes that Argentine artists are often confused with the rest of their Latin American peers.
This is because there tends to be a reductionist concept of "Latino" amongst Americans that encompasses everything that comes from Mexico down to Argentina.
However, beyond this, Jorge notes that Argentina has a positive image as a country.
Regarding the activities that could be undertaken by the Consulate to promote our artists in the Midwest, Jorge believes there are many opportunities considering that Chicago is one of the main cities in artistic prominence within the United States along with New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
According to Jorge, when we talk about the cultural hierarchy of a city we should consider a set of characteristics.
New York is the main venue from the point of view of the amount of established galleries, auction houses, institutions and museums.
From this perspective, Chicago is second, only behind New York, because its collections and museums are very significant at an international level.
The relevance of Miami has to do with the large amount of contemporary art fairs that are held in the city. According to Jorge this type of exhibition are the artistic and commercial vehicle through which global art is developed today.
Los Angeles does not have as much auction houses, fairs or museums but still has much to offer and is a great and vibrant artistic scene.
There are other important artistic venues in the Midwest such as Detroit, Columbus, Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
For more information about Jorge´s work, we invite you to visit the following websites:
www.jorgesimes.com
www.simesstudios.com
Thank you very much Jorge!
Consulate of Argentina in Chicago
Tuesday May 10, 2016