New York City - Curator and art consultant Esperanza Leon, the Venezuelan-born owner of Solar Art Gallery in East Hampton has been a major force in introducing the work of both established and up and coming Latin-American artists to the Hamptons and the United States. Recently she shifted her gaze to New York with a two part exhibition series under the banner of "Glocal Proposals," on view until March 10 at the Elga Wimmer Gallery.

Artist Miguel Salom at the opening of mesmerizing photographs from his series "Esperant." Photos by John Wegorzewski

Under Leon's guidance, "Glocal Proposals" brings together artists able to identify sensitively with global as well as local influences and circumstances in their artwork. Their capacity to bridge the poles creates a new mode of expression: Glocal.

Earlier this year, she presented the first of these "Glocal" artists, the debut solo art show in New York City for fellow Venezuelan, Eduardo Barcenas, entitled "Acts of Silence" to much success.

Last Thursday, word of mouth had clearly spread as her second show featuring Miguel Salom's mesmerizing photographs from his series "Esperant" opened at the popular Chelsea gallery to a packed crowd. In his works, which appear to be expanding pinholes of light, Salom creates photographs that are journeys rather than mere records of an object or scene, impossible to resist images that draw a viewer into the vortex of creation.

The works are selections from a series of the same name begun in 2008 and first presented that year in Salom's native Majorca. This series represents a culmination of three decades of continuous work and time devoted to evolving and perfecting techniques to capture subjects in particular light that enhances, reflects and, in this case, incorporates them. At first look, one assumes that these are digitally manipulated but not so – all of his photographs are direct representations.

Esperanza Leon and Michele Kidwell at the gallery opening.

In her notes on the exhibition Leon explains, "Beyond the initial attraction to the color and energy of these works, one is compelled to ponder existence and infinity, or in the words of the artist, 'centuries - beings and souls, birth, death - always, always - life'."

Among those entranced by Salom's images was acclaimed Indian actress Sarita Choudhury, who was "enchanted by the photographs." She noted that although her husband is a war photographer concentrating on recording live action, she "connected with the spirituality in Miquel's images."

Now operating Solar for over eight years, Leon continues to showcase a range of Latin-American artists. Each year, she curates an exhibit based on a cultural theme designed to expose stereotypes and prejudices. Such was the case with her show this year "What Brown Can Do For You," a subtle jab at the TV ad campaign for UPS which looked at the exploitation of immigrants in the American workplace.

As with her previous outing in Chelsea, Leon's show attracted a sizable crowd of fans of her East Hampton gallery including realtor Chip Dineen, Ronnie Desiderio, Terry McCulley, Mia Rosenberg and Ira Silverman, Jerrold X. Shapiro and Claudia O'Dell-Shapiro, Joana Marea, Michele Kidwell, Jason Pearson, Ben Conrad, Dan Welden, Julio Vadez, Claudia Debacker, Diogenes Castillo, Antonio Fermin, and Alex Guerrero as well as Toronto hedge fund writer extraordinaire Corey Goldman, collector Kathy Atkinson, and curator Leslie Park.