The Color of Shadows
Massiel Mafes and Papo Colo
February 6 – March 8, 2025
In collaboration with Calderón
Opening reception: Thursday, February 6th, 6-8pm
Address: 242 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011

Calderón and Dinner Gallery are pleased to present a two-person exhibition featuring Massiel Mafes and Papo Colo, whose paintings delve into the exploration of memory and place. Titled The Color of Shadows, the show will be on view February 6 through March 8 at Dinner Gallery.

Massiel Mafes and Papo Colo both delve deeply into the memory of place, weaving together personal experiences and imagined realities. Mafes employs painting and collage as a means of narrating her familial history. By stitching fabric collected from family members and piecing together stories passed down through generations, she preserves and reimagines the memories of her family. Her work reflects her lived experience as a result of the experiences of her relatives who migrated to the United States from Cuba, leaving behind personal belongings, photographs, and other material objects imbued with familial significance.

Papo Colo often transcends the confines of lived experience, drawing on collective histories, cultural myths, and abstract impressions to recreate places he has never physically encountered. Colo lives and works between Puerto Rico and New York. The artist embodies a practice enveloped in performance and rituals. Often using utilitarian objects and materials found around his plein air studio in El Yunque rainforest, such as branches, dirt and even rainwater, Colo creates works that are crucial to understanding how one positions and establishes oneself in the world. 

Both artists explore the liminal space between reality and imagination, crafting works that embody the fluidity of memory—simultaneously intimate, universal, and often untethered from a singular truth. Mafes and Colo’s use of found materials from a different geography and time further highlight the intersection of past, present and future. Their works serve as a guide, tapping into a universal and collective experience while also testifying to diverse perspectives. In their hands, place becomes both a site of personal reflection and a canvas for speculative exploration.

Artist Biography:

Massiel Mafes (Born 1993, Miami, Florida. Lives and works in New York City
Mafes received her BFA from the Miami International University of Art & Design in 2015, her MFA from the California College of the Arts in 2018, and is a recipient of The Golden Foundation Artist Residency Program, in New Berlin, NY and the Vermont Studio Center. This year she is the recipient of the prestigious AIM Fellowship at The Bronx Museum.

Papo Colo (Born 1946, Puerta de Tierra, Puerto Rico. Lives and works between New York and Puerto Rico)
Colo is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Franklin Furnace Fund. Most notably, Colo is the co-founder of Exit Art in New York. Colo’s works are included in the collections of the MoMA, New York; El Museo del Bario, New York; and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

About Calderón:

Calderón operates under a forward-thinking model that moves beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar gallery space, focusing on dynamic partnerships that expand our resources and allow us to explore new, sustainable business practices. The gallery has a distinct emphasis on artists from Latin America and the diaspora, a theme central to its founder, Nicole Calderón. The program is dedicated to nurturing the careers of Latinx artists and advancing dialogue about the rich cultural diversity within this vibrant community. As the representation of Latinx contemporary art in institutions continues to evolve, Calderón aims to champion a new generation of artists by strategically positioning their work in leading museums, institutions, and private collections around the world, securing their rightful place in history.

About Dinner Gallery:

Dinner Gallery is a contemporary gallery dedicated to developing and presenting emerging artists. Since its inception in 2016, the gallery has been intrinsic to experimentation, working collaboratively with artists to realize novel and ambitious projects outside their typical realm. In addition to nurturing artists and mounting exhibitions, the gallery also functions as a center for rigorous intellectual exchange, hosting dialogues, lectures, and other community activities.

Gallery Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday, 1-6 and by appointment

Press Contact:

Elisa Smilovitz

elisa@elisasmilovitz.com | 551.486.3273