Adrián Abonce
Born in the small town of Tuluá, Colombia, Adrián Abonce has been working as a graphic designer for more than 17 years. In the mid-1990s he bid farewell to his beloved country and moved to the United States. He settled in Philadelphia where he honed his skills in art directing and production management at several Spanish and English publications. In the last five years, however, Abonce has discovered his true passion: photography.
In 2006, Abonce officially emerged on the Philadelphia art scene with his first solo exhibit, De Caracas a Mérida, a colorful display of film prints capturing the exotic beauty and culture of Venezuelan life and land. He has since been involved in numerous exhibits and projects, one being “Noches de Arte en El Barrio,” where a select few of his Venezuelan prints were displayed on a larger scale at Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas.
Abonce also had a solo exhibit at Black & Brew in July 2007, which premiered his intense collection of bodies and nudes in both color and black and white.He also has a permanent exhibit at the same Café, located on Passyunk Avenue, which features detailed close-ups of Philadelphia’s intricate architecture.
Abonce’s photographic interests vary on a large scale. Stylistically, he has concentrated on the effects of light and shadow, the differences between film and digital and the importance of natural shots as opposed to altering images with technology.
In terms of subject matter, Abonce has focused on everything from culture, to human figures to landscapes.
He also captures the abstract possibilities within architecture from South America, the Dominican Republic and here in Philadelphia. The shots of manmade creations reveal that details of shapes, colors, lights, and shadows can tweak and distort what may seem like normal structures to create beautiful images.
Over the years, Abonce has taken classes in light and development processes at the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia and the Dark Room Studios in Merchantville, N.J. He also studied at the Community College of Philadelphia, where his pictures were selected on several occasions to be hung in the annual Student Show.
Always eager to learn new techniques and sharpen his skills, Abonce belongs to the Philadelphia Figure Study and Lighting Photography Workshop, a group that meets frequently to discuss and improve in the field.
In 2006, Abonce officially emerged on the Philadelphia art scene with his first solo exhibit, De Caracas a Mérida, a colorful display of film prints capturing the exotic beauty and culture of Venezuelan life and land. He has since been involved in numerous exhibits and projects, one being “Noches de Arte en El Barrio,” where a select few of his Venezuelan prints were displayed on a larger scale at Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas.
Abonce also had a solo exhibit at Black & Brew in July 2007, which premiered his intense collection of bodies and nudes in both color and black and white.He also has a permanent exhibit at the same Café, located on Passyunk Avenue, which features detailed close-ups of Philadelphia’s intricate architecture.
Abonce’s photographic interests vary on a large scale. Stylistically, he has concentrated on the effects of light and shadow, the differences between film and digital and the importance of natural shots as opposed to altering images with technology.
In terms of subject matter, Abonce has focused on everything from culture, to human figures to landscapes.
He also captures the abstract possibilities within architecture from South America, the Dominican Republic and here in Philadelphia. The shots of manmade creations reveal that details of shapes, colors, lights, and shadows can tweak and distort what may seem like normal structures to create beautiful images.
Over the years, Abonce has taken classes in light and development processes at the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia and the Dark Room Studios in Merchantville, N.J. He also studied at the Community College of Philadelphia, where his pictures were selected on several occasions to be hung in the annual Student Show.
Always eager to learn new techniques and sharpen his skills, Abonce belongs to the Philadelphia Figure Study and Lighting Photography Workshop, a group that meets frequently to discuss and improve in the field.
(Bio by Lex Chalat)
Contact
email: aabonce@hotmail.com
phone: 215-888-8359
Model Mayhem: MM# 131115
phone: 215-888-8359
Model Mayhem: MM# 131115
