This weekend a new art exhibition opens at the Park Hyatt with Mendocinean artist and sculptor Leandro Pintos. With a dozen pieces from his latest collection, I spoke to the artist to find out a bit more about them.
The exhibition naturally falls into two camps: sketchings and sculptures. Leandro started drawing over 20 years ago and his fascination for form is evident in his series of drawings which mainly focus on torsos of women and also a couple men. “I like to work with sketchings the most,” said Pintos. “I like that you can represent a form in just two lines.” The forms are certainly represented in few lines, but are no means simplistic or boring. The sketches have a sultry sort of 
movement in them and sexy colorful panties. His idea behind titling the female torsos as ‘grapes’ and ‘fertility’ is drawing the comparison between the women as life givers and the way that wine has given a new life and growth to Mendoza.
The sculptures take on a more masculine, Trojan theme. A couple Troy style warhorses demonstrate how complex the form of a horse is and how by changing its diet and training you can hone its shape. Pintos also picked horses because he feels they are the animal you can most ‘decorate’ and he has chosen real life items to ornate them in a functional way.
Another captivating sculpture is the bent over woman. Whereas usually Pintos works with small pieces adding new materials, this was taken from one large trunk and he chose the bent over form of a woman because he feels it was the experience of carving away the wood that revealed this rather intimate, insular and private form.
This is a small but interesting collection which already on the first night had several buyers and no doubt will continue to generate a lot of interest. It is a free exhibition and you can visit it at the art gallery on the first floor of the Hyatt any time, any day.
Leandro Pintos, Park Hyatt, 1124 Chile.
Amanda Barnes is a British journalist living in Mendoza and enjoying the sun, wine and a bit of art whenever she can.