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The work of Alonso Rey from Peru really stands out compared to the internationalized art fair esthetics; my choice is deliberately anti-cyclical. His oil paintings are figurative, narrative, autobiographic, expressionistic and thus differ from the rather impersonal canon prevalent today. They are literally cutting edge in the illustration of the painter’s psyche without taking recourse to Baconesque distortions but instead employ the direct disgust seen in the Isenheim Altar and the codified metaphors used in Flemish painting. The pure fact that Mexican master painter Arturo Rivera, who won the First Prize in the 2005 Beijing International Art Biennial, took Rey under his wing and Rey’s consequent progress in a very short time speak for his talent. His naturalistic yet slightly surrealist style is highly recognizable. It conveys emotions in a dramatic, exuberant and sometimes humorous way that is more often found in Latin-American art than in US or European art. - curator Till Richter

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