Primary is pleased to present: "Process Ritual Future Eternal", an exhibition of new works by Carlos Betancourt. The occasion marks Betancourt's first exhibition with the gallery and his first solo exhibition in Miami in just under a decade.
Known for his over-the-top juxtapositions of popular and domestic culture, Betancourt's work pours through Primary's expansive, low lit exhibition space with the precision of the cosmos. At a deeper look into the origin of thousands of string lights and classic holiday tree toppers, one is presented with a humbling, intimate story, and the driving force behind the exhibition.
In his youth, Betancourt finds himself at a loss when he learns that a piece of his identity, symbols of celebration from his family's history, had been left to the past while settling in the United States. That singular moment triggered a life long response, collecting and protecting a broad range of precious objects discarded, the acting memories that universally engage the public across civilizations en masse.
While elements of previous bodies of work remain integral, Betancourt reaches out broader than ever through electrical currents of color that collide with geometrics of aluminum and tin. The final compositions can be compared to a drug ingested on a cool crisp evening, complete with flashbacks, transporting the viewer to a familiar time and place.
To struggle with this type of purity isn't uncommon but with each comforting illumination, the objects themselves celebrate Betancourt's bravery for saving them from an innocence lost, repurposing their beauty for the sake of the individual.