Costa Rica Arts & Theater -He’s one of the most desired artists in the Central American art market — and the United States is catching on to the creative genius behind contemporary Costa Rican artist Fabrizio Arrieta.
Arrieta lives by the Costa Rican philosophy, “Pura Vida,” (Pure Life) which is based on the idea that you should be carefree, embrace life and live in the moment. “No problems, just relax and everything will be fine,” the award-winning and internationally sought-after artist told the Latin Post.
It’s a philosophy that most Costa Ricans live by, and it’s an approach that Arrieta uses when he’s creating his masterpieces that have garnered him worldwide attention.
Essentially, when it comes to artistic creativity, there should be a flow — and in life, you should go with the flow.
Born in San Jose, Costa Rica, Arrieta, 31, who specializes in abstract figurative painting, has been given an incredible opportunity in New York City to expand his already incredible portfolio; he won Flatt Magazine’s FLATTPRIZE and National Arts Club Residency Award.
The award was carefully selected by an international panel of expert judges, including Naomi Beckwith of the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Chus Martínez, formerly of El Museo Del Barrio, and Christian Rattemeyer of MoMA.
As a FLATTPRIZE and National Arts Club Residency Award winner, he will receive a six-month live-in residency at the esteemed NAC, a cash stipend, unlimited supplies, meal service, housing at NAC and full club privileges (valued at over $150,000).
“I am very happy and excited,” he said about this amazing opportunity. “I would like to thank the generous collaboration of Flatt Magazine and the National Arts Club, the selected jury and Diablo Rosso, my gallery, for the support and strong belief in what I do and the unique opportunity that will allow me in the following months, to experiment and generate my work from New York City, the undisputed art capital of the world.”
Flatt Magazine and the National Arts Club honored Arrieta at the National Arts Club’s historic landmark, The Tilden Mansion, which occupies 14 and 15 Gramercy Park South; both houses were built in the 1840s, and the original flat-front, iron-grilled brownstones matched the style of the homes still maintained on the west side.
Actor Matthew Modine, model Andrej Pejić, designer Maggie Norris, Ralph Lauren model Morgan O’Connor, Jean Shafiroff, Nur Khan, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, Anthony Haden Guest, Leesa Rowland and Jean Shafiroff attended the event, which also featured spinning by DJ Questlove, Elle Dee and Timo Weiland as well as a 4D live music performance by Australian band goodbyemotel.
At the culmination of Arrieta’s residency in September, Arrieta will feature his completed work, which he anticipates will consist of 15 to 20 paintings.
Arrieta believes that his paintings “‘owe a debt to contemporary visual culture,’ often reinterpreting images through post-production techniques. Immersing himself in the Western art tradition, he is able to give his work context and feeling for a certain moment in time,” according to Delacruz Projects.
Using photography and digital imagery in his paintings, Arrieta “‘cuts and sticks’ material from diverse but related 
sources, revealing ‘opulent aspirations of transformation, manipulation and presentation of the beautiful thing.’ This gives new meaning to the already manipulated images, which is directed towards the painting itself and his two big historical concerns: figurative art and abstraction.”
“NAC houses one of the largest collections of early American 20th century art in the United States, and has a long-standing history of arts patronage, membership, and philanthropy,” said Former National Arts Club President and current Director of Arts and Humanities, Dianne Bernhard. “I see this program as part of a larger plan for the future of The National Arts Club and foresee the artist residency as a way to bridge the gap between our traditions and the contemporary art world.”
Founded in 2010, FLATT is a philanthropic arts platform that sponsors and celebrates creativity across all disciplines, including science, the visual arts, film, dance, performance, music, writing, and poetry.
The National Arts Club, which was founded in 1989 by author and poet Charles De Kay, the literary and art critic for The New York Times, has had notable members throughout its history, including three U.S. Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Other notable members included: distinguished painters Robert Henri, Frederic Remington, William Merritt Chase and Cecilia Beaux, Sculptors Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Daniel Chester French, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Paul Manship; composer Victor Herbert; conductor Walter Damrosch; photographer Alfred Stieglitz; and architects Stanford White and George B. Post.
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By Melissa Castellanos, latinpost.com
