NEW YORK CITY, NY — The CUE Art Foundation and Evercore, a prominent international financial services firm, have announced Union County artist Ángel Souto as the recipient of the prestigious “Evercore Artist Empowerment Award 2024.” This distinguished honor includes a solo exhibition in the heart of Manhattan and a generous cash prize.
Souto’s exhibition, titled “Morriña: Echoes of Galicia,” is currently being hosted at Evercore’s headquarters in New York City. His work delves into the rich cultural heritage of Galicia, an extraordinary region situated in northwest Spain, with a unique blend of Hispanic and Celtic heritage. Through this exhibition, the artist offers a fresh, contemporary take on traditional Galicia, reinterpreted with innovative visions and a modern approach.
“My current work focuses on an ethnographic exploration of Galicia’s rich culture. I use this context to recover forgotten narratives about rural life, emigration, music and folk traditions,” said Souto. “Through my paintings, I aim to give voice to these marginalized stories and highlight the natural beauty of Galicia.”
With his exhibition, “Morriña: Echoes of Galicia,” Souto portrays the region from the point of view of an immigrant after 30 years living in the Union County area. “In this exhibition, ‘Morriña’ serves as a thematic anchor, capturing my exploration of Galicia’s rich cultural landscape and distant childhood memories,” Souto said.
Receiving this year’s award has been “a true privilege, especially seeing how my interpretation of the Galician soul resonates in a vibrant city like New York,” Souto said. Besides being recognized as a winner, he emphasizes the importance of the multicultural cross-roads that is New York and sharing these stories with a global audience. “I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to showcase another example of our culture in the heart of New York,” he said.
Souto is a Spanish painter who emigrated to the United States in his teens and now resides in Union Township. His self-taught practice spans various forms, styles and media, from traditional to digital. Formerly a senior illustration and design director at a branding firm, Souto has applied his talent and eye for detail in his artistic practice, designing and illustrating for Fortune 500 companies and beloved brands across the United States. After 25 years in the industry, he decided to fully dedicate himself to fine arts, developing a distinctive style that fuses his broad skills and interests, inspired by his love for nature and his Hispanic cultural heritage.
The CUE Art Foundation, together with Evercore, annually awards the Artist Empowerment Award to a single artist to recognize and support their work at a critical juncture in their career. Each award includes several months of exhibition at Evercore’s headquarters in New York, providing artists with a platform to present a solo exhibition of their work. This unique opportunity allows the Evercore community to experience and engage with contemporary art firsthand.
For more information, visit the official announcement page at https://cueartfoundation.org/angel-souto-evercore-empowerment-award-2024.