Intimacy
Gallery view.
Sorry Not Sorry: Positions, Dispositions, and Oppositions
Curated by Max Hernández Calvo
Sorry Not Sorry: positions, dispositions, and oppositions is an exhibition without a theme. The eight invited artists share none. Nor do they share an aesthetic line. They are not from the same generation. They do not work with the same media, much less the same technique. They do not hold a unified vision of the artistic, nor do they share the same references or concerns. On the contrary, each artist, in their own way, does whatever they please. And that is exactly what they share. One could say that this exhibition seeks to respond to that independent spirit I recognize in this group of artists: Verovcha, Ralph Bauer, Gonzalo Hernández, Marisabel Arias, Diego Paolo RÃos, MarÃa Abaddon, Vanessa Karin, and Pierina Másquez. Hence the "millennial" title (all it lacks is the hashtag and, if pushed, a finsta) and its initial meme-like graphics—which were opportunely replaced for the invitation with a design by Ralph Bauer—as a way to bring this project closer to the ease I identify with a youthful spirit (for lack of a better or worse term), characterized by an orientation toward discovery, a capacity for wonder, a critical—if not defiant—gaze, and a healthy dose of irreverence. Faced with the task of assembling this exhibition, and after discarding several models (the thematic exhibition, the generational census, the identification of trends, etc.), as they were not viable in light of what I found interesting in exhibitions, studios, portfolios, and Instagram, I thought of presenting a constellation of cases as a small "attitudinal record" of recent local art. Following this idea, what Sorry Not Sorry seeks is to gather distinct approaches to art, characterized by an exploratory orientation that unfolds through the methodologies employed, as well as the techniques, material resources, or chosen themes. Eight types of artistic practices are presented, determined by the implicit creative risks they take (such as opting for forms without clear art-historical precedents, addressing hermetic discourses, or developing esoteric aesthetics, among others). The attitude recorded by this show has diverse manifestations—if not multiple attitudes rather than just one—which seem to coincide in a general sense in their unconcern for the traditions of the past and their disregard for the trends of the present. It is not that these artists ignore art history or are disconnected from the local and international art scene; rather, it is that their inquiries can be quite particular. Thus, an artist like Verovcha proposes in her works a formal, bodily, and ecological meditation centered on an articulated vision of the earth and femininity. MarÃa Abaddon affirms in her work a vital power through hybrid forms where the human, the insect, and the corpse seem to blur, making excess and viscerality her hallmarks. Marisabel Arias bets on estrangement, creating a commercial fiction that subverts technological and neoliberal rationality by appealing to the absurd. Ralph Bauer resorts to the systematizations of conceptual art and minimalism (permutation games, organization of information in grids, numerical sequences) to parody logical-practical thought and its limits. Diego Paolo RÃos collects materials found on the street, articulating them with one another, seeking to confront their implicit histories through processes of physical transformation. Gonzalo Hernández adopts a satirical attitude toward the working world and the artistic field itself (which he equates), appealing to a sense of humor inherited from stand-up comedy to pose a social critique.
Vanessa Karin creates a post-pubescent and pre-erotic graphic imagery (with a nod to foreplay) that operates as a political-romantic ideology regarding sexuality.
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Finally, Pierina Másquez addresses subjectivity as the encounter between desire and late capitalism, seen from the dreams and nightmares of consumption and the (romantic, aesthetic, social, etc.) yearnings it mobilizes.
The eight gathered artists launch us into an encounter—unpredictable, indeterminable, irreducible—with the work of art, openly assuming the limits of communication: its failures and its overflows, such as misunderstanding, over-codification, over-interpretation, or the entropy of information.
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That is why “Sorry Not Sorry” assumes that the success or failure of the encounter with the work of art matters less (not because one does not believe in the value of these works and the artists' bets, but because there is no way to guarantee such an encounter), and what truly must be taken into account is that the challenge posed by the artists is postulated by openly assuming that risk: without regrets.
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Max Hernández Calvo
Gallery view of the group show tittle
Intimacy
Animation
6.48s
2019
Exhibition Overview: Sorry Not Sorry
As part of its 25th-anniversary celebrations, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú Cultural Center (CCPUCP), in collaboration with the BBVA Foundation, presented the group exhibition SORRY NOT SORRY: Positions, Dispositions, and Oppositions. Opening on October 24th, the showcase brought together eight artists whose work is decidedly contemporary, embracing a diverse range of media, materials, and disciplines to provide an "attitudinal census" of the recent local art scene.
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About the Exhibition This exhibition gathered eight artists who share an exploratory and lighthearted approach to artistic labor. Their practices are defined not by a singular visual style, technique, or theme, but rather by their methodologies, processes, and the specific creative risks they take.
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Sorry Not Sorry displays a spectrum of discursive, theoretical, and behavioral positions and oppositions regarding both art and the world. These perspectives are manifested in the ways the artists conceive the work of art and imagine the possible bonds formed with the public.
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As part of the exhibition, a special newspaper was published featuring in-depth interviews with each participant. The following text is the English translation of the interview with Vanessa Karin, where she discusses her "post-pubescent and pre-erotic" imagery and its role as a political-romantic ideology regarding sexuality.
VANESSA KARIN
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1. Why do you find making art relevant?
By creating a work, memory is encapsulated, and one can reflect upon it. Specific moments become recorded. Furthermore, the public can empathize with the artist and her way of processing her environment, perhaps feeling accompanied in the process.
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2. What makes it significant or necessary for you?
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Producing work is a necessity. In a poem, I once wrote: “I paint because if I don’t, I get lost; I paint because if I don’t, I die”. I discovered painting at 18, and I haven't been able to leave it since. Painting brought me as much adrenaline as it did peace. Creating work is significant. In that same poem, I wrote: “In my work, I confront myself, to know to what I am beholden”. I work from moments that caused me grief, confusion, or pain; bringing them to the present and converting them into art brings me peace. I empower myself, I find order, and I recognize myself as a more mature person than the one I was before.
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3. Where do you begin an artistic project?
I start with an impulse I cannot explain. Images arrive, and I make sketches or write poetry. I always start from a concrete theme. Currently, my work revolves around female homosexual sexuality.
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4. What methods or processes do you employ and why?
A memory comes to me, and with that first impulse, I write poetry. This helps me understand the objective I want to achieve with the project I have in mind. I also draw. The idea stays in my head for days while I make sketches and think about the ideal language to create the piece. Poetics is part of my visual language. I begin to relate objects or situations to one another—without an apparent connection—creating metaphors that lead me to produce the work.
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5. Do you have a predefined idea of the result you want?
No. I know what I want to transmit or what I don't want to be misinterpreted, but I am also aware that during the creation process, new ideas and elements emerge. I prefer the final result to be a surprise, even to myself. I end up thinking: “At what moment did all of this happen?”. If I had every detail planned, I would end up getting bored, and I wouldn't leave much room for creation. I would just be reproducing something.
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6. What factors influence the final result?
Although I don't have a defined concrete form, I do have small objectives set. These can be simple technical issues or small challenges I set for myself at the start. I usually have a clearer idea of what I don't want to be known. When I feel I have reached my maximum, I let it be the final result. Nonetheless, I see my work as a large whole, composed of elements that I can remix again to create new approaches. I am creating an archive of experiences and memory that I can re-explore to see things I didn't see before.
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7. What causes the work to transform until it reaches its definitive form?
Ideas are not just ordered; they become clear to me, and in that way, they are internalized within the discourse of the work.
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8. Which aspects of your work do you think the public connects with most?
My work has a greater possibility of connecting with an audience of dissident sexuality. Even so, empathy is achieved with those who are not. There will be people who connect without necessarily being homosexual, having a different approach to my themes, such as intimacy.
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9. Which aspects of your work do you think are the least “user-friendly” for the public?
The lesbian component. Although sexual dissidence is increasingly public, LGTBQI+ issues still make conservative strata uncomfortable. The personal—especially regarding the sexual—is highly political, and revealing it is radical. In my work, I criticize this. The intimacy of a dissident sexuality ends up becoming a social matter. I hope that at some point, the lesbian component will not stand out in my work as it becomes normalized over time. My work presents a sequence of three handmade ink drawings, digitized and converted into animation. Transforming the traditional (as these drawings are unique pieces) and granting them reproducibility might bother a more purist audience.
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10. What kind of relationship or response do you seek from the public?
I want the public to find new representations of dissident sexuality and normalize them. But my greatest wish is for my work to accompany those who are discovering that they want to be different. This work has already accompanied me; I hope it accompanies whoever needs it
Poesia
Ink on carboard
A5
2019
Invitame a salir
Ink on carboard
A5
2019
Te quiero
Ink on carboard
A5
2019
Press & Critical Reception (spanish)
Sorry not sorry: the irreverent art exhibition at the CCPUCP
(...) On the other hand, Vanessa Valdez [Karin] , a student from the same faculty, has addressed sexuality in her recent projects. She presents Intimidad (Intimacy), ink illustrations of characters set within scenes subtly animated through a projector. For this exhibition, the student sought to depart from the predominant male gaze and represented love between women in her drawings.