Edgar Sanchez Cumbas

Lives and works in Tampa, FL, USA

Artist statement

Suggesting something alive yet perhaps not actively developing, Edgar Sanchez Cumbas’s aims to question our internalized bigotry—the sleeping beasts within us—concerning colorism, racism, and identity. Converting statements Cumbas has overheard people make about race or color and turning them into titles, these bits of poetic syntax add a touch of narrative to his abstract pieces. The verbal dismemberment in some of the names, like “Tan Neck” or “Skinned and Toned,” mirror the violence in the sharp, dangerous-looking forms in his “Neck” series, which reference the exoticism of hunter’s trophy heads placed on display. Cumbas’ primary palette is limited to black, brown, yellow, tan, and white. From here, he adds his “secondary” colors—reds, greens, and blues—to create more multifaceted complexions. The added textures and forms are at once recognizable, yet unfamiliar: they create a push/pull situation where at one moment, the textures transform into a smear of luscious frosting, and at the next, they may look more akin to a mass of internal organs or a gaping wound. Though his works are politically bent, Cumbas’ work refrains from the didactic; instead, his hand serves as a filter to distill information from the outside world to create something new that speaks to contemporary life. The tactility of his mark making in both his paintings and sculptures create a rough topography of built-up anger and resentment to the political climate, yet the soft, sensual surfaces also...

Artwork