Image: Rainy Night, 2013
mixed media
Based on "As One Listens to the Rain" by Octavio Paz.
El Museo de Arte de Banco de la Republica
May 16 to August
Los Habladores
Bogota, Colombia
curated by Selene Wendt
Artists include Liliana Angulo, Monica Bengoa, Milena Bonilla, Milena Bonilla, Monika Bravo, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Eloisa Cartonera, William Cordova, Marilà Dardot, Lobato & Guimarães, William Kentridge, Cristina Lucas, Fabio Morais, Rosana Ricalde, Eder Santos, Tracey Snelling, Valeska Soares, Elida Tessler, YOUNG HAE-CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, Nina Yuen, and Sergio Vega. .
Driving down the street at night, I look at the lit windows of the houses that I pass, and I wonder who lives there. What is taking place behind that drawn window shade? A tired motel sign along the side of the highway still buzzes and beckons travelers to come stay in one of the faded rooms. An old furniture store on a street in a forgotten downtown is dark and the sofas are covered with dust. I want to know the stories of the people who once inhabited these areas.
My work derives from voyeurism, film noir, and geographical and architectural location. Within this idea of location, themes develop of a particular locale’s inhabitants: Who are these people? What do they do and why do they do it? These questions transport observation into the realm of storytelling, and as my work evolves, I continue to explore place, people, and culture through the use of scale and repetition of a theme; I create new realities that change with the viewer’s
perception. Through video, sound, and manipulation of size, I am not trying to replicate a place; rather I give my impression of a place, its people and their experience, and allow the viewer to extrapolate his or her own meaning.
When visiting different cultures, countries, and neighborhoods, I am fascinated by the possibility of unfamiliarity. To be square in the middle of a culture so foreign, one almost feels invisible. To walk down these alien streets, trying to dress and assimilate as though I belong, I am able to observe subtly the daily interactions and goings-on of the people who live and work there. Sometimes I will give up the idea of being inconspicuous and travel as “the tourist,” camera and sound recorder in hand, which offers yet another perspective and offers a completely different take.
At the core of my work resides the intersection of place and experience. I try to do this with as much respect as possible to foreign cultures and tradition, while staying true to the call of the artist by shining a light on the little seen corners. Ultimately, my personal views and ideas come into play, and I believe it is this melding, the known with the unknown, the foreign with the familiar, that fuels my work and creates such a rich experience for the viewer.
mixed media
Based on "As One Listens to the Rain" by Octavio Paz.
El Museo de Arte de Banco de la Republica
May 16 to August
Los Habladores
Bogota, Colombia
curated by Selene Wendt
Artists include Liliana Angulo, Monica Bengoa, Milena Bonilla, Milena Bonilla, Monika Bravo, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Eloisa Cartonera, William Cordova, Marilà Dardot, Lobato & Guimarães, William Kentridge, Cristina Lucas, Fabio Morais, Rosana Ricalde, Eder Santos, Tracey Snelling, Valeska Soares, Elida Tessler, YOUNG HAE-CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, Nina Yuen, and Sergio Vega. .
Driving down the street at night, I look at the lit windows of the houses that I pass, and I wonder who lives there. What is taking place behind that drawn window shade? A tired motel sign along the side of the highway still buzzes and beckons travelers to come stay in one of the faded rooms. An old furniture store on a street in a forgotten downtown is dark and the sofas are covered with dust. I want to know the stories of the people who once inhabited these areas.
My work derives from voyeurism, film noir, and geographical and architectural location. Within this idea of location, themes develop of a particular locale’s inhabitants: Who are these people? What do they do and why do they do it? These questions transport observation into the realm of storytelling, and as my work evolves, I continue to explore place, people, and culture through the use of scale and repetition of a theme; I create new realities that change with the viewer’s
perception. Through video, sound, and manipulation of size, I am not trying to replicate a place; rather I give my impression of a place, its people and their experience, and allow the viewer to extrapolate his or her own meaning.
When visiting different cultures, countries, and neighborhoods, I am fascinated by the possibility of unfamiliarity. To be square in the middle of a culture so foreign, one almost feels invisible. To walk down these alien streets, trying to dress and assimilate as though I belong, I am able to observe subtly the daily interactions and goings-on of the people who live and work there. Sometimes I will give up the idea of being inconspicuous and travel as “the tourist,” camera and sound recorder in hand, which offers yet another perspective and offers a completely different take.
At the core of my work resides the intersection of place and experience. I try to do this with as much respect as possible to foreign cultures and tradition, while staying true to the call of the artist by shining a light on the little seen corners. Ultimately, my personal views and ideas come into play, and I believe it is this melding, the known with the unknown, the foreign with the familiar, that fuels my work and creates such a rich experience for the viewer.
