Marvelli Gallery is pleased to present Like a Dirty Joke or an Angel, a solo exhibition by Cuban artist Manuel Piña. This will be Manuel Piña’s first solo exhibition in New York since 2004. The show will consist of new fiber optics sculptures: a major departure from Piña’s previous work in photography and video. Using highly textured forms and light as the main elements in the works, Piña invites a direct, physical relationship with the viewer. The title of this exhibition is a line borrowed from Jack Spicer’s The Unvert Manifesto: “Sex should be a frightening experience like a dirty joke or an angel.” These works demand touch, physical interaction.

Manuel Piña is one of the most important Cuban artists of his generation. His work has been extensively exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, most notably: Daros Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland; The National Gallery, Ottawa, and the Musee de Art Contemporain, Montreal, Canada; Grey Art Gallery, New York; and many others. Manuel Piña is professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.