MATEO LÓPEZ MANIPULATES FORM AND SPACE IN “HESITANTE” – GALERÍA LUISA STRINA

Following his inventive research on the spatialization of drawing, López extrapolates to the exhibition space different systems of lines and grids. With modular structures and material combinations of wood, fabrics and personal artifacts, López’ works continue persisting in provoking and making us think about our relationship with art in a more horizontal, playful, and less hierarchical way.

Regarding his sources of inspiration, one can find Colombian traditions and cultural references, such as fruit sellers on the streets of Cartagena, known as "palenqueras"; The opposition between the monumentality of the North American movement with the more human scale of objects created by Brazilian concretism and neo-concretism; and even autobiographical anecdotes and his personal relationship with the history of art.

At the end of the room one find the exhibition's centerpiece, Corpos Disobedientes (Disobedient Bodies) (2020-2021), an audiovisual projection that reinforces the aspect of human resilience in the midst of sanitary and political crises. The video is a documentation of a work commissioned by the Museo Banco de la Republica, filmed in collaboration with three dancers in halls inside the museum in Bogotá. There, according to the artist, it was shocking to see the huge public library empty, with the newspapers of March 17, 2020 intact on the table, marking the day the lockdown began in López’ city. As the artist stated, the proposed occupation of spaces by the bodies of dancers gained more strength, given the state of suspension in which he found corridors, the amphitheater, the auditorium, library, and exhibition rooms.

In the artist's words: "The title, Cuerpos Disobedientes, came to my mind when performing the activations. It was specifically in the library’s auditorium that one of the dancers moved the chairs in a very anarchic manner, contrary to the norms of behavior in such public spaces. I believe "the disobedient body" evokes that feeling of freedom. My work is precise, meticulous and over time I learned to deal with chaos, to make something out of chaos at a time when we were made to believe that everything was under control."

Mateo López (Bogotá, 1978) speaks of cartographies, journeys and construction processes while revolving around the themes of chance, encounter, time, and the connection of events that take place in daily life. His work traces a conceptual approach and expands from drawings to installations, architecture, films and sculptural choreographies.

Galeria Luisa Strina

Rua Padre João Manuel 755

Cerqueira César 01411-001

São Paulo, SP Brasil