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>> Mateo Romero: I came into Dartmouth in 1985
and my initial major was architecture
but when I started doing the drawing classes,
the figure [phonetic] drawing classes, I began working
with people and with [inaudible] and was drawing a lot.
And I realized that my real love wasn't necessarily designing
spaces but it was just painting people and drawing people.
And so I was kind of seduced by the studio art program.
My experience here in large part was defined by studying
with Ben Frank Moss [phonetic] and [inaudible]
and they really kind of represent sort of opposite sides
of the kind of equation which is that, you know,
[inaudible] was this kind of really,
you know, exotic character.
This kind of, you know, quienticitial [phonetic] artist.
What he taught to his students which I didn't really understand
at the time was how an artist, how a mature artist sort
of moves through the world and negotiates things.
And then on the other side was Ben Frank Moss,
who was more kind of buttoned down,
sort of straight laced about things.
His example was much less about language
or you know symbolic gesture and was more about building stuff.
It was about how paintings work.
That actually happens in my work.
I go from being a very intentional,
sort of [inaudible] lined, maybe [inaudible] built up painter
to being an artist who does that type of work but also sort
of mixed media approach as well.
I think of it as a collision between photographic presence
or images of people and sort of abstract expressions background.
So I think was kind of tension
where paint can meet photography and it can resonate.
It can vibrate and I think people respond to that.
The paintings are actually prayers.
They're mini [phonetic] encapsulations or moments
of these kind of metaphysical experiences
that the dancers have.
And I've tried my best to sort of crecreate [phonetic]
or create a kind of visual signifier or symbol in paint
of what these metaphysical experiences were like
or could've been like.
So that a person could come to a space like this and look
at a painting and for a moment, they might connect
with the energy of that prayer.
The Hood, when I was a student here it was sort
of a benchmark for me.
I remember being fascinated by the place and sort
of having these daydreams of showing here.
And you know what 18 year old artist wouldn't want
to be in a space like this.
It's so gorgeous and the light's elegant
and everything's just kind of sharp.
It feels like a chapel almost, right?
It's like for a moment it's a [inaudible] painting chapel
in here and to sort of have a dream like that when you're 18
or 19 and then to see it realized later
in your life, it's pretty magical.
It's kind of amazing.
It reaffirms the spirit that you can dream
and that it becomes manifest in the world.