Mene Manresa Bodipo: Suyã (Dreams)

January 7-30, 2022
Mene Manresa Bodipo: Suyã (Dreams)
Opening reception: Friday, January 7, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday, January 30, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Closed Monday, January 17, for the holiday. No Saturdays hours in January.

With Suyã, I want to reconnect with my audience in a new adventure of colors, poetry, dreams and stories. Within this exhibition, my world of colors and compositions manifest into abstract environments. First, viewers will encounter Míne télamû (Child of my land) as they begin a journey into my dreams. This exhibition represents a land of my past, a land that raised me. Before viewers “awake” from my dreams, they will have crossed many lands and seas only to find themselves shipwrecked and remembering where they came from – a dream that connects them to their ancestors.

Desiderio Manresa Bodipo, artistically known as Mene Manresa, was born on the island of Annobon (Equatorial Guinea). From an early age, he studied drawing, painting and ceramics at the Hispano Guinean Cultural Center in Malabo. He became part of the Monte Alen project where he was able to expand his skills as an artist along with professional artists from Spain. Mene Manresa has participated in several artistic competitions in Equatorial Guinea and has won several awards. He expanded his knowledge in graphic design, sculpture, animation, and in entertainment (circus), however he is most recognized for his paintings. In 2011 he did a cultural exchange tour in the U.S. funded by the non-governmental organization EG Justice. During the tour, his paintings were shown in several universities and at Highlander Research & Education Center. Manresa is inspired by everyday factors of his environment, and he interposes them in an abstract and modern-realistic world. His work is unique with vivid colors that impact viewers at first sight and help them navigate his world of imaginary composition. Recently, he represented Equatorial Guinea in the international art exhibition United Nations: Symbol of Life, Freedom & Happiness 2020-2021. He is considered one of the best young artists in his country, Equatorial Guinea, where culture and artistic expression are being absorbed by globalization and lack of focus in cultural sectors.

Instagram @menemanresa