MORPHO DEBRIS SERIES, DRAWING V
acrylic & ink on arches paper
30 x 44 inches
Continuing through June 30, 2013
While Mexican artist Anibal Catalán has studied architecture and is inspired by this discipline in his work, his sculptures are so free-form that they spoof and even challenge our common perception of what a dwelling is. Most of the work in this “Out of Order” exhibition are built on site, put together spontaneously, and made entirely from Home Depot materials: wood, aluminum, corrugated plastic, fluorescent lights, screws, nails and glue. The resulting sculptures, inspired by the Russian Constructivist movement, have a kinetic, abstract, about-to-take flight quality — with raw materials and jagged edges shooting out in a multitude of directions.
The artist calls these works an “endless labyrinth with multiple entrances and exits.” He adds that the constructions have falling roofs, walls, stairs, peaks, cables, floating canvases, vectors, and hot and cold areas. Several large acrylic and ink paintings from the artist’s “Morpho & Debris” series, primarily in black and red and painted directly onto the gallery walls, complement the sculptures. These also include jagged edges and kinetic features, yet draw more clearly from Constructivism by virtue of their clean geometric designs. Perhaps unintentionally, the paintings also appear inspired by California hard-edge painting with their large expanses of bright, sharp colors. Tying the exhibition together are small Polaroids, called “Instant Architecture,” that the artist shot in Mexico City, each photo featuring a free-form sculpture shot against a notable structure or façade. While Catalán’s latest works are bewildering and disorienting, they provide a seemingly endless adventure into the different ways that space and dimension can be manipulated.
Recommended by Liz Goldner