Terzocchio Meridiani di Luce - Sole di Mezzanotte
(ThirdEye Meridian of
Light - Midnight Sun)
Librino,Catania
Deadline: Ongoing
HANDWORK
CONSTRUCTING
THE WORLD
i Contemporani de Palma,
Palma de Mallorca
15 October - 22 January 2011
Los Carpinteros (Dagoberto Rodríguez and Marco Castillo) have garnered international attention and acclaim for their watercolors, sculptures and installations. They take inspiration from the physical world, particularly architecture and urban structures, furniture and design objects, tools and construction materials in order to craft works that express a visual syntax dwelling on the contradictions between object and functionality, art and the everyday, practicality and uselessness.
Despite their pseudonym Los Carpinteros (“The Carpenters”), the most prolific medium in the collective’s artistic practice are large-scale watercolor drawings: meticulous studies of morphing objects, melting matter, exploding walls, all captured in seemingly timeless moments. These watercolors are in many cases blueprints to be realized as sculptures or installations. The show at Es Baluard centeres around four major sculptures and installations: Cama (2007), a bed intertwined in the shape of a pretzel or resembling a highway feeder evokes the psycho-space of sleep and dream. Portaaviones (2005), a miniaturized pool, takes the shape of an aircraft carrier, complicating expectations of functionality and usability, leisure and warfare. Frío Estudio del Desastre (2005), a precise reconstruction of a wall penetrated by a missile, is freezing time at the moment of explosion and produces an uncanny stage for the visitor. Espejos de Agua (2001) consists of multiple old fashioned drawing tables covered with water that reflect the electric light of desktop lamps, creating a precarious moment where paper and materiality morph into liquefaction and ephemeral mirrorings.
Francesca von Habsburg has been following Los Carpinteros and collecting their work for many years, and considers their creations to be an extremely important part of her contemporary art collection and indeed seminal contributions to the current contemporary international art scene.
"I met the artists in Havana Cuba in 2005 and found their work to be absolutely original, and I loved their commentary on our society, and our values, laced with a very personal sense of humor. I have followed their career for many years, and I am very happy to see it blossom here in Spain, where they have recently moved to. There has been much interest in their work, particularly by Elena Foster, and her new gallery Ivorypress. Los Carpinteros have become internationally recognized artists, and I have included their work in all of our international exhibitions of the T-B A21 foundation.”
In addition to the monograph recently published by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, which gives a comprehensive insight into the artistic practices from 2003-2010 and is also available as a Special Edition, includes a pair of flip flops, designed by Los Carpinteros, Es Baluard is launching a small brochure focusing in detail on the works specially selected for this exhibition.
Cama, 2007
Los Carpinteros
Foam, fabric, metal, stainless steel, epoxy paint
125 x 345 x 510 cm
Installation view: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. Collection as Aleph, Kunsthaus Graz, 2008
Photo: Niki Lackner / Landesmuseum Joanneum
Espejos de Agua, 2001
Los Carpinteros
Wood, epoxy resin, water, flex lamps
Dimensions site specific
Photo: Courtesy of San Francisco Art Institute
Frío Estudio del Desastre, 2005
Los Carpinteros
Cinder blocks, concrete, fishing nylon
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
The Kaleidoscopic Eye: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Mori Art Museum, Japan 2009
Photo: Watanabe Osamu, Courtesy Mori Art Museum
Portaaviones, 2005
Los Carpinteros
Fiberglass, polyester resin, stainless steel, silicon, PVC, water pump, and water filter
Installation view: En el Jardin, Galeria Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo, Brazil, 2005
Photo: Eduardo Ortega / Galeria Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo, Brazil
Tornado Amarillo Doble, 2011
Los Carpinteros
Watercolor on paper, diptych
200 x 227 cm
Frío Estudio del Desastre, 2005
Los Carpinteros
Installation view: Passages. Travels in Hyperspace. Works from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, 2010
Photo: Reto Guntli
