German Pérez Named Official Artist for XIII ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS

German Pérez has been named the official artist of the XIII Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards^® (www.latingrammy.com), it was announced today by The Latin Recording Academy^®.

Pérez's artwork will be proudly used as the official image for the world's premier Latin music event and will grace the cover of the XIII Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards invitation, show tickets, poster, program book, and other important applications. The commissioned artwork was unveiled today in Los Angeles at a press conference, announcing this year's Latin GRAMMY nominations. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower atwww.twitter.com/latingrammys, and Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/latingrammys.
 
"It is always a pleasure to introduce an artist from the Latin community whose work embodies the essence of Latin music and the creative nature of our organization, and I am proud to say German Pérez has captured and created the exuberance of both for this year's official Latin GRAMMY image," said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy." The vibrant use of his color palette along with the graphic image of Latin music's most prestigious award evoke a celebratory enthusiasm while promoting the diversity of our musical past and setting the tone for its future."
 
Hailing from the Dominican Republic and relocating to New York in the '80s, Pérez became involved in the pop art and graffiti art movements of the decade. He quickly incorporated the use of these contemporary mediums into his artistic work, which is based on modern interpretations of his native homeland's cultural roots of Afro-Caribbean and Taino Indian history. He is known for his versatility and wide and creative range of media, experimenting with photography, drawing, sculpture, graphics, and video and TV production. Pérez's paintings exude vibrancy through his use of primary colors and capture narrative motifs that juxtapose a playfulness of mystery, sensuality and magic. Pérez has held a total of 28 solo exhibitions worldwide and has represented the Dominican Republic at European art biennials in France, Norway, Spain, and Hungary. Extending his creative reach, he has illustrated book covers for authors Julia Alvarez, Kathy Engel and Sergio Troncoso; made an illustration for Juan Luis Guerra's Ojala Que Llueva Café album; co-produced the album of Dominican folklorist Boni Raposo; and musically performed with guitarist Juan Francisco Ordoñez.
 
The XIII Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 15, and will be broadcast live on the Univision Network at 8 p.m. ET/7 Central. For more information, please visit www.latingrammy.com.
 
The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visitwww.latingrammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/latingrammys, and a Facebook fan atwww.facebook.com/latingrammys.