Aníbal Catalán’s work, comprised of sculpture, installation and 2-dimensional drawings and paintings, draws tremendous influence from the stark sensibilities of the Russian Constructivists. First introduced to the genre while studying at the School of Architecture, Universidad Anahuac (1993-1997), Catalan became immediately drawn to the counterintuitive way a limited color palette and futuristic suspension design could possess a tremendous amount of feeling. Much of what the Constructivists actually constructed was the stuff of dreams. Never built, their concepts entered the land of Babel – part myth and alluring because of the element of unity and hope that they projected. In that sense, Catalan’s installations succeed where many of the Russian Constructivists failed. He creates works that feel like a fairy tale, yet perform like a grand work of engineering calling up visions skyscrapers and the history of human flight and the early days of space travel.
Catalán lives and works in Mexico City and shows his work internationally most recently in a series of notable solo museum exhibitions.