To look upon the works of New York resident Leilani Bustamante is to enter a world where ritual and resurrection collide with sacred longing. Born in Santa Rosa, California, and graduate of the Academy of Art University, Bustamante’s paintings combine symbolic portraiture with a mixture of osteological themes that take the viewer into strange realities and eerie fantasies.
From Arthur Rimbaud and Patrick Bateman to Snow White and the Evil Queen, the mournful tones of her subjects communicate a sense of spirituality flanked with wistful macabre. Integrating a sepia palette of acrylic and gouache on wood panel, the ghostly deities and creatures of nature possess a haunting beauty as thought-provoking as it is sensual.
A collection of Leilani Bustamante’s work will be on display at Modern Eden Gallery’s On Beauty: International Group Exhibition, which runs from May 10 – June 7, 2014. Keep an eye out for additional show openings, scheduled in June and July.
