Roberto Juarez's 2001 exhibition at Robert Miller Gallery showcases vibrant mixed-media paintings

Roberto Juarez presented a solo exhibition at Robert Miller Gallery in New York from November 14 to December 22, 2001. His mixed-media works on canvas feature geometric forms like triangles, circles, and rectangles, alongside spontaneous brushwork and ambiguous shapes. Specific pieces include Bryant Park Tiles, 2001, with its drab olive greens and pungent crimsons, and freestanding hinged panels such as Humo One, Humo Two, and Coin Circle, 2001. Juarez's art avoids rendering specific objects, instead exploring chaotic urban life through patterns and limber brushwork. Influences from Willem de Kooning and Hans Hofmann are noted, with traces of de Kooning's 1960s pinks and greens. The monotypes Nubes Uno, Dos, and Tres display overlapping pale circles, though their colors are described as wan. Juarez uses charcoal drawing and drips of pigment throughout, with hints of architectural elements like scaffolding and fire-escapes. The exhibition emphasizes optical imagination and a balance between randomness and pattern, as seen in Kether Place, 2001, and Circulation, 2001.