BIO Jose Aleman is an artist and architect. A native of Lima Peru, he received formal education in Architecture in Chicago at the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning a BArch in Design from that Institution. He also earned an MFA degree from the University of Chicago, where he attended thanks to a generous full merit scholarship and stipend.
Jose’s experience in Architecture is primarily in residential, commercial, and interiors. He has worked in many capacities for outstanding architectural firms in Chicago, and is currently running his own architectural studio. In 1998 and 2000, Jose was invited to participate in the Salons for the Lima Biennials of 1998 and 2000. His work is in the Contemporary Art Collection of San Marcos University in Lima, Peru (oldest University in America), as well as private collections across the US. In the US he has participated in numerous one person and group exhibitions in Chicago and New York City, and been commissioned for public art. Of note is the Signature artwork done for La Casa Norte’s Solid Ground Project in Chicago. Jose’s vision and community engagement facilitated a terrific facade and garden wall sculpture that give residents and visitors a memorable experience.
As an educator, he has been faculty in Fine Art and Architecture at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, teaching courses in art and architecture to families, children and adults. At the MCA Jose taught courses in architectural design in conjunction with the Mies van der Rohe exhibition ” Mies in America”. His community work at Yollocalli Arts Reach through The Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago earned him a letter of appreciation and a commendation from that institution. Here he led families through the interpretation of an Andean myth, in watercolor. A handmade book was produced and given to all participants. At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago he was faculty in the First Year Program, involved in a new and revolutionary team docent program. At Harrington College of Design, he taught courses in color and design. At DePaul University’s Department of Art, Media and Design, he taught courses in fine art and urban planning and the arts. Of note is the Community Project “Eye on Drexel” at DePaul University. Here, through the Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning and Community Service Studies, he taught a service-learning course. This project, designed and led by Aleman, sought the input of the 4th Ward Community, the Quad Community Development Corporation, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, and various City of Chicago Departments for the development of the historic Drexel Boulevard in Chicago. This work, a 3-year urban arts project, was presented at the city of Chicago Mayor’s Office.
ABOUT:
These three works are the seminal pieces for a series called Totems. I worked on these drawings/paintings while immersed in the news of the first Gulf War, Desert Storm. Though made more than 30 years ago, they are very relevant to our human condition today.
Totems are archetypes, and as they are sculpted trees they rise up from ground to sky. Metaphorically, they aspire to the metaphysical, from our world to a higher plane of existence. In Northwest First Peoples cultures, they are power symbols, ancestors. Totems are the testament of the creation of a people, with the seminal ancestor being the first, the base.
Upon this image the connections grow.
The totems I created are satire, and they are warnings. In my totems, the totemic vertical structure remain yet the objects are a mix of western symbols. These symbols are places, animals, objects that may or may not be of everyday life. They are absurd, playful, emblematic of a course dictated by economics and survival. They are a warning against complacency, against sloth, against gullibility. We are more connected than ever before, and we are more manipulated than ever before. I hope that the viewer can see what I strive for, truly learn more about world politics, and read about the history of the world since Europeans encountered America.
