En Bola / Collaborations with Hector Hernandez
De Stijl Gallery
Though "En Bola" is the work of six artists, it functions as the work of three. Each pairing of makers has its own character with its own philosophy, which together form a cohesive, multidimensional experience.
The photographic work of Mauro C. Martinez and Hector Hernandez is enigmatic and striking, and uses the body as a reference point. In Nomad, a nude woman, face hidden by hair, flings her arms back, pelvis forward, as a red and yellow wave pours from above, falling like a tongue of fire. The word "nomad" is scrawled in black across the center of the image. In another photo, Citizen, what may be the same figure has lifted her head, raised a knee, and thrown her arms high, reaching back to another swatch of red, a cape flying behind her.
As in the first image, she is blurred. Even though she faces us, her features can't be made out. Chavez and Garciá single out mouths, noses, and eyes; Martinez and Hernandez obscure them. The word "citizen" is written in black oil to the left of the figure. Nomad and Citizen have equal power. One can't tell if, from the artists' perspective, a nomad and a citizen are the same. A nomad may be placeless and a citizen inextricably linked to a place, but in these images, each are lost and found.
Photographs by Sandy Carson Photography
Exhibited works
