Short Bio
Arlyn Jimenez was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on December 10, 1977. Arlyn began working with recycled materials and creating art at a young age in the workshops of friends and neighbors. His first individual, 'Con to' lo hierro, (All of Metal) was in 2001 at the Casa de Cultura (Cultural Center) in Puerto Plata. He attended the Casa de Chavon School Summer Institute in Santo Domingo, D.R. in 2003. He has attended various programs in welding and sculpture. He was a member of a performance art collective called 'Chocolatero' that takes its inspiration from an abandoned chocolate factory in Puerto Plata D.R. Arlyn's work has been exhibited in various Dominican cities as well as in Miami and New York.
Statement
Arlyn Jiménez Sánchez, known as Buloya, occupies a space of flux. Born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on December 10, 1977, Arlyn practices metalwork as both artist and fabricator. The artist has shaped New Orleans since moving to the city in 2009, creating custom metalwork, repairing century's old ironwork, and fabricating work for some of the region's most prominent artists. His hand can be seen all over the city, beloved by the artist
for its cultural similarities to the Caribbean. A special ability to uncover hidden potential marks Arlyn's practice as an artist. Raised by his mother to be resourceful and make do with what is available, he delights in breathing new life into discarded material.
His work plays with this notion of transformation: Arlyn uses a plasma cutter to dismantle and repurpose salvaged metalwork and cleans the material by
sanding and using chemicals to strip away oxidization. 'Like new, the artist observes with a smile. Watching the artist work, you can see that his process serves a cathartic purpose, he approaches his pieces with intense focus as he hammers, twists, burns, and manipulates the material until the work transforms into something entirely new.
In his most recent work, Arlyn uses a gentle touch. The material retains the marks of its history, including the original welds. In a sense, the artist takes a collaborative approach, creating his compositions by combining, taking apart, and re-cutting the material with the plasma cutter while respecting the character of the metal. In the artist's words, he talks with his work, playing until he feels comfortable.
The resulting work explores the transformative possibility of life while at the same time acknowledging that metal, cities, and people carry their history with them through periods of instability, change, and rebirth. Reflective of an artist transformed by his own experience, Arlyn re-creates imperfect material into a dynamic and refined series of sculpture.
Resume / CV
Education
Casa de Chavon, Sculpture Certificate 2003
Solo Exhibitions
Casa de Cultura, Puerto Plata, R.D ('Con to' lơ' hierro') 2001
Group Exhibitions
('Tropical Dichotomy') May 2015
DuMois Gallery, New Orleans, LA
('Bathworks') September 2013
Silverman Studios, New Orleans, LA ('Salon
d' Automne') November 2009
Motif Art Gallery, Puerto Plata, D.R. ('Winter
Dreams') December 2007
Motif Art Gallery, Sosua, D.R. ('Pop-Fall')
October 2007
Edge Zones, Miami, Florida ('Growth
Spurt') January 2006
Puerto Plata Cultural Review, Puerto Plata,
D.R. ('Art in Puerto Plata') April 2004
Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Puerto
Plata D.R. ('Fragmentos') October 2003
Cariatides Cafe Concierto, Puerto Plata
D.R. ('Artists of Puerto Plata') 2003
Bar Vento, Cabarete, D.R. ('Intervencion de
Bar Vento') 2003
Santiago Arts Festival ('Art Vivo'), Santiago
D.R. 2002
Casa de Cultura, Puerto Plata, D.R. ('XTremo(to the memory of Jaime Colson')
2001
Art Festival, 'Warm Winter, Puerto Plata
D.R. 1999
Performance Art (Group Exhibitions)
Edge Zones, Miami, FL ('In Times of
Uncertainty...') December 2017
Edge Zones, Miami, FL ('Experience in
U.S.A') September 2007
Grace Exhibitions Space, New York, NY
Chocolatero Collective August 2007
(Artist in Residence)
'Chocopop Sonoro' Performance, Puerto
Plata, D.R. Chocolatero Collective 2006
'Chocopop' Performance, Puerto Plata,
D.R., Chocolatero Collective 2005
'Chocopop' Performance, Puerto Plata,
D.R., Chocolatero Collective 2006