NADA Miami 2022

Tierra del Sol Gallery at NADA Miami 2022 | Booth 8.06
A Solo Presentation of Works on Paper by Joe Zaldivar
November 30-December 3, 2022

(Los Angeles— November 1, 2022) Tierra del Sol Gallery is excited to announce our NADA Miami debut, come visit us November 30 through December 3, 2022, at booth 8.06! Tierra will be exhibiting a solo booth of drawings by Joe Zaldivar that explore prominent Florida-based landmarks as well as topographical depictions of the United States. We are proud that Zaldivar’s work has been selected for NADA’s Curated Spotlight, a special section of the fair showcasing 8 galleries chosen by Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels. Tierra del Sol Gallery Director Paige Wery will also participate in a panel discussion with Joeonna on December 2, 2-3 pm. We look forward to seeing you in Miami!

About the Artist + This Body of Work

Whether it be your neighborhood grocery store, local library, or a towering hotel, artist Joe Zaldivar makes it his mission to capture and distill the majesty hidden within the mundane. Born in 1989 in Rosemead, California, Zaldivar always took a keen interest in maps, landscapes, and television, beginning to incorporate these subjects into his drawings from a young age. His earliest works are frank and vividly accurate hand drawings of topographic and thematic maps presenting a wide array of data. Zaldivar’s trajectory as a full-time artist began to shift in 2011 when he started making art at the Tierra del Sol Foundation studios. The Tierra del Sol Foundation was founded in Sunland, CA, in 1971 and champions the inclusion and independence of all people with disabilities. Originally conceived by parents as an alternative to institutional care, Tierra del Sol began as an early demonstration of self-advocacy.

Zaldivar has since expanded his practice from Thomas Guide Maps, now innovatively sourcing subject matter using Google Maps Street View on an iPad. The artist waits for a scene to spark his interest as he tactilely searches this ever-evolving digital archive of the physical world. Without the aid of projection and rarely a ruler, Zaldivar begins at the paper’s center and maintains scale and perspective as he works his way to the edge. Starting with architectural drafting pencils, his practice is characterized by a methodical approach. At the same time, Zaldivar’s completed works are defined by the artist’s distinct visual vernacular and intuitive translations of what he deems significant. Reminiscent of David Hockney, Zaldivar saturates his detailed compositions with felt-tipped markers and watercolor in bright, cheerful palettes. He wields color mechanically, slowly dragging his pen or brush along geometric paths carefully outlined in black ink, occasionally allowing the pigment to permeate borders. Zaldivar’s compositions are teeming with creative vitality, the unique cultural richness of each location revealed as they are animated by evidence of his meticulous process.

While much of the work for his debut solo exhibition, Street Views of Los Angeles at Tierra del Sol Gallery, depicted Southern California topography and scenes, the work featured at NADA Miami 2022 delves into the rich cultural and architectural history of Southern Florida. The presentation positions famous hotels and notorious mansions alongside everyday businesses, interwoven with a variety of data-driven maps rendered in exacting detail. Zaldivar’s practice is shaped by his sophisticated interpretations of space, but the hand-drawn nature of each piece recontextualizes the relationship between viewer and place, recollecting that even the most massive creations originate from human hands. This somewhat uncanny effect manifests as a surprising juxtaposition between consumerism and compassion. Delivering quiet fragments of reality by way of the artist’s precise yet jovial aesthetic, this curation gracefully maneuvers the tension between utility and luxury. When viewing a series of works by Zaldivar, their collective presence allows them to transcend the delineation of land or cityscape and coalesce into a critical consideration of urban sprawl.

Through signature textures and jubilant color schemes, Zaldivar reveals a world glowing with vibrance, one that extends a warm, joyous welcome. His work has been acquired by numerous prominent private collections, including those of Beth DeWoody and Dean Valentine. At his discretion, the artist has accepted commissions for collectors and businesses across Southern California. Zaldivar has exhibited his prolific body of work at galleries and institutions internationally, including The Good Luck Gallery in Los Angeles, Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ireland, The Storefront for Art & Architecture in New York City, as well as the Biennial of the Image in Chiasso, Switzerland. Joe Zaldivar is honored to have been selected for the upcoming NADA Miami 2022 Curated Spotlight, a special section of the fair curated by Joeonna Bellorado-Samules. If you’re attending NADA Miami 2022, be sure to visit us at booth #8.06! We can’t wait to share Joe Zaldivar’s astounding body of work with the global community.