Stories from South America: Political art and visual poetry showcasing at Galería del Paseo
The South-American contemporary art gallery Galería del Paseo, with venues in Perú and Uruguay, is presenting the work of the well-renowned artists Miguel Aguirre (Peru- 1973) and Clemente Padin (Uruguay - 1939). Stories around political art and visual poetry in two must-see exhibitions in Lima this season.
Miguel Aguirre, May our homeland be again, 2021. Installation view at Galería del Paseo Lima. Photo Juan Pablo Murrugarra
MAY OUR HOMELAND BE AGAIN (QUE NUESTRA PATRIA VUELVA A SER) I MIGUEL AGUIRRE
Galería del Paseo I Lima
From July 12th to August 7th
Visit the viewing room here
Miguel Aguirre, Que mi patria vuelva a ser, 2020. Photo Juan Pablo Murrugarra
A few days before the 200th anniversary of the Peruvian proclamation of Independence, it is notable that most Peruvians yearn for a better or, in any case, a different country. The show's title takes its name from a large textile displayed in the center of the room. This textile was made in collaboration with Elvia Paucar and bears the testimony of a Venezuelan immigrant living in Peru. The statement "May our homeland be a country of opportunities again" acquires a renewed meaning when Peru is dealing with one of the worst health and political crises.
The exhibition brings together recent works by Miguel Aguirre along with other works already exhibited but whose revision, during the complex and critical situation, invokes a country where economic, political, social, and cultural rights are, for all Peruvians.
Miguel Aguirre, Tarea pendiente, 2019. Photo Juan Pablo Murrugarra
Aguirre’s work proposes to think about the recent past and the present from its representation, being it an image or a created scene, and the plural coexistence of this with others, giving diverse readings; which leads to thinking history not as a unique and definite narrative but instead a plural and divergent one. Thus, Aguirre uses archives and mediums so extensive, heterogeneous, and often juxtaposed such as family photo albums, the tourist cliches, printed press, Hollywood and alternative cinema, economic and political essays, graphics from the '80s, Peruvian crafts, decoration magazines, old porn magazines, popular culture, western art in general, and in particular, history painting. The work that he has developed in the last twenty-five years stands out by its diverse corporeities: painting, photography, collage, textiles, object, or installation, which constitute a group of forty artworks, some of which are still open.
VISUAL POETRY (POESÍA VISUAL) I CLEMENTE PADÍN
Galería del Paseo I Lima
From July 1st to August 7th
Visit the viewing room here
Clemente Padín, Visual poetry, 2021. Installation view at Galería del Paseo Lima. Photo courtesy of the gallery
Clemente Padín (Rocha, Uruguay 1939) is one of the most innovative artists of the southern cone who has carefully explored the possibilities of artistic language through multiple shapes. His gaze has been posed in the canvas, in the creation of conceptual paintings, in white pages as well as in screens to investigate the form of the poetic text or the coming and going of the mail art; the artist has worked on the relationship between words and the material environment in different performances.
Clemente Padín, Visual poetry, 2021. Installation view at Galería del Paseo Lima. Photo courtesy of the gallery
Padín’s artistic trajectory allows us to note that the artist has always been extremely attentive to the formal aspect of his artworks: said characteristic stands out by observing his poetry, in which the author explores different visual aspects. Padín’s “signografías” respond to the use of the Roman alphabet's letters and their different expressive capacities. Integrating them with numbers and momentarily giving them anthropomorphic aspects, he gives them great dynamism and a notable dramatic force to the Visual Poems series. In them, Padín introduces elements that had been reserved for painting and design, moving away from the standardized concept of language to dive into creative freedom.
Clemente Padín, Signografía VIII and VI, 1970- 2011. Photo courtesy of the gallery
Discover more about Miguel Aguirre and Clemente Padín's work here.
* Source: Galería del Paseo