George Crespo

Twenty_One_O_One, 2001
wood, polymer, burlap dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist

George Crespo’s new wall sculpture, Twenty_One_O_One is inspired by the experience of the forest as a sacred and powerful place. It is based on a Taíno creation story that was first recorded in the Dominican Republic over 500 years ago. However, Crespo’s story takes place in the Bronx in 2101 when the earth is flooded with water and choked with deadly gases, resulting from the greenhouse effect. In the Taíno story, people dwell underground in caves (apartment buildings in the future story) and must avoid the sun at any cost. After a successful fishing expedition, two fishermen attempt to return to the building before dawn. Arriving too late, they are trapped on the raft and destined to float in the hot sun and expansive sea. Seeds settle on their decomposing bodies and the men are transformed into trees. In this story, painted in sequences on two burlap panels, humanity is the basis of all things organic and mineral. Anchored to the place of its origins, the work is framed by wood that Crespo collected from the Arecibo area of Puerto Rico.

Crespo has exhibited in solo exhibitions at Lehman College, Bronx, NY in 1999 and at El Museo del Barrio in New York, NY in 1997. He has contributed to group exhibitions at the Bronx Museum for the Arts in 2000, and at the Bronx River Arts Center and Gallery in 1999. Crespo’s mural, entitled Ancestors, was at El Museo del Barrio last year, and he has published a children’s book in 1999 entitled, Honoring Our Ancestors. He has been honored by the Longwood Cyber Residency and Exhibition Program (2000). Crespo received his B.F.A. from the Parsons School of Design, New York, NY, and is currently pursuing his M.A. at Lehman College in Bronx, NY.