Al Colleted

Abdel Hernandez San Juan and Surpik Angelini are remarkable figures in the world of art and anthropology. Let’s delve into their backgrounds:

1.               Abdel Hernandez San Juan:

•              A thinker, theoretician, and writer, Abdel Hernandez San Juan initiated a new movement in phenomenology and ethnometodology in sociology. His intensive theoretical research and discussions with Stephen A. Tyler and Quetzil Eugenio Castañeda led to groundbreaking insights.

•                 In 1997, he co-founded the Transart Foundation in Houston, Texas, alongside Surpik Angelini. This foundation serves as a workshop for art and anthropology, supporting artists and scholars engaged in relevant social, anthropological, and interdisciplinary research12.

•              His work spans various disciplines, including philosophy, sociology, phenomenological sociology, theoretical linguistics, semiotic theory of culture, and art. Abdel’s contributions have left a lasting impact on the field.

2.               Surpik Angelini:

•              Surpik Angelini, based in Houston, Texas, is an artist, independent curator, and writer. Her practice is deeply rooted in the overlapping realms of art, architecture, and cultural anthropology.

•              Trained in art at Mills College and Cornell University, and in architecture and urban planning at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, she brings a diverse background to her work.

•                  Together with Abdel Hernandez San Juan, she founded the Transart Foundation in 1996. The foundation’s mission is to support artists and scholars engaged in socially relevant research.

•                 Surpik’s artistic vision has been influenced by her collaborative performances with John Cage and Gordon Matta Clark, as well as her theoretical studies with Thomas McEvilley at Rice University1.

These two visionaries have significantly enriched the intersection of art and anthropology, leaving a lasting legacy in their respective fields.