JOSÉ LERMA: BAYAMONESQUE
Nino Mier Gallery is pleased to present Bayamonesque, a solo exhibition of works by José Lerma.
March 14 – April 17, 2025
Bayamonesque marks the end of an era. The past fifteen to eighteen years have led to the culmination of this profile series as we know it. José Lerma sees this body of work as the conclusion of his current artistic cycle, bringing the viewer back to his homeland and the familiar faces of his past to complete this chapter. There are subtle shifts, however—the skin tones and surface colors now reflect more vivid blues, reds, and greens, lending the figures an otherworldly, almost artificial glow. They seem less illuminated by natural light and more like they exist under an entirely different spectrum.
The title of the exhibition reflects the interplay of opposites, a recurring theme throughout Lerma’s career. He grew up in Bayamón, an industrial suburb on the outskirts of Puerto Rico. Though not known for its picturesque qualities, Bayamón holds a special place in the artist’s heart, infusing this exhibition with a sense of everyday life. The quotidian nature of his hometown is made poetic by the suffix he adds to it, embodying the incongruity he delights in exploring. The profile paintings, after all, are built on a similar contrast—balancing the excess of thick impasto with the sparseness of just a few brushstrokes, and using large canvases to capture what are, essentially, sketches. Then again, the abundance of material makes a Lerma work impossible on a small scale.
The subjects, some real-life acquaintances from Lerma’s native Puerto Rico and others pure invention, are chosen with a keen eye for detail—or rather, for the lack of detail he requires them to be portrayed effectively. The artist quickly discerns whether someone lends themselves to this series based on certain defining characteristics.
As Lerma himself puts it: “The abstract painter in me is, above all, drawn to certain people for specific features that can be broken down to their bare minimum as paintable elements: an expressive cowl, a striking nose, a distinctive shape of lips.” Anyone can be captured in a portrait, but only a select few can embody the essence of José Lerma’s paintings.