This exhibition review was published on Widewalls Magazine on March 18, 2023.
A proposal to live with what had been there -
Cynthia Gutiérrez solo exhibition at Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil
Installation view, False Pilgrimages, 2022. Volcanic rock, wood, MDF, lacquer. Courtesy of the artist and Proyecto Paralelo.
Most art is displayed “at” a location. In the case of site-specific projects, art is created “for” a location. In her ongoing solo exhibition at Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil in Mexico City, Cynthia Gutiérrez makes a novel proposal: how to art “with”. Titled “Habitar el Colapso,” or “Habitat the Collapse” in English, the exhibition elaborates how art can be created microscopically with the museum space; macroscopically with the mother earth, and conceptually with an abstracted modern landscape.
Upon ascending to the top floor of the museum, I was immediately surrounded by “False Pilgrimages,” a large-scale installation which consists of over fifteen elaborations of volcanic rocks from different ages and styles interacting quite seamlessly with their corresponding geometric bases. These hybrid structures took me on a zigzag walk across this garden of ruins when I came to the realization that these white bases are not to be treated as pedestals to hold the rocks or as part of the artwork itself. They ought to be understood as what had already been there inherently.
They are like the lumps and dents on the skins of museum floors and walls. They are organic receptors disguised under modernity. In most of our eyes, the earth might seem flat. But in Gutiérrez’s world, the earth is filled with these outlets awaiting connection and interaction. Paradoxically, when the volcanic rocks fill into these receptors to form a variety of structures, the fillers (rocks) precede the structures (white bases) from a historical standpoint as if they were pre-designed thousands of years prior to what they would eventually form to fit into. Perhaps these receptors come in the shapes of avant-garde-looking white cut-outs only because we are doing this exercise in the contemporary world. Gutiérrez exquisitely plays out her interpretation of the “a priori” and “a posteriori”, while at the same time challenges the traditional temporal relationship between the two.
Detailed view, False Pilgrimages, 2022. Volcanic rock, wood, MDF, lacquer. Courtesy of the artist and Proyecto Paralelo.
To “Recognize” Rather Than To “Discover”
When I switched to this view of treating all white bases from “what was made to be there” to “what had always been there,” Gutiérrez’s intention came to display: the history and the present invoke each other and complement each other. It is true that history (rocks) is at times factual, nonetheless, what might be more important than “to discover” is “to recognize”. The difference between the two lies in whether or not a reference is required to be present. In order for something to be “recognized,” it demands something else that is fundamentally different (the white bases) to be cognitively present in order to make the recognition. In these installations, Gutiérrez makes it very clear: this something which is required for the history to be recognized, is the present. And vice versa.
The two always find a way to support each other no matter how one is twisted, turned, emerged, continued or ceased. Aided by the cultural environment of Mexico City where indigenous culture was fortunate enough to be continued into the modern days, Gutiérrez’s philosophy of how to live with history is consistent with her artistic method where her reorganization is her creation.
Installation view, Modern Graves I-XV, 2019 -2021. Textiles, wood, lacquer. Courtesy of the artist and Proyecto Paralelo
The Push and Pull of History
In comparison to the “False Pilgrimages” sculptures scattered all over the main open space, a fully enclosed side gallery is solely dedicated to the “Modern Graves” series which is a visual continuation of the previous works. This time, however, the visual balance between the old and the new is tipped, and reconstructed. Textiles were made to fit into narrow gaps between the white bases, compressed into territories that were drastically under-proportioned. Compressing volcanic rocks won’t turn them into layered textiles, understandably, but the moral of this new iteration is that the history and the present; the organic and the rigid; the man-made and the natural are not always in perfect balance. An off-balance equilibrium might be the norms after all. At the same time, whichever party that is in a compressed state would carry more potential energy eyeing for a bounce back.
When we discuss the term “co-exist,” we often think about two entities that can take up their own positions without interfering with one another. In reality, it is often neglected that for a “co-existing” state to even become possible, forces applied by one another onto one another might be required at all times. A pull without a push is not a pull just like a present without its history is never the real present. Gutiérrez sharply identifies this. With the two major series in the exhibition, she carefully advises us to remain vigilant towards the pushes and pulls between the present and the past.
On the other hand, the curator masterfully separates the “Modern Graves” series into a stand-alone gallery. This unforced decision easily transfers the sensation of something organic being pressed by something formal to the viewers. When I walked into this room with only one small side entrance/exit, my body had become a sort of textile that was compressed by the floors and walls. My torso and limbs were limited to the seemingly spacious gaps between the sculptures on the floor. My walk became rigid and mindful.
Installation view, Prelude I-XXIII, 2020-2021. Volcanic rock, artisanal spheres, iron. Courtesy of the artist and Proyecto Paralelo.
Volcanoes Erupting and Containing
In the back exhibition space, the ever-changing relationship between the past and the present gains a playful exemplification. “Prelude” is a set of works consisting of volcanic rocks each with an artisanal sphere embedded. Controllability of nature has historically been mankind’s show of power. In an almost passive aggressive manner, Gutiérrez helps us create spheres (which requires mastery in controlling fire) instantly out of an erupting volcano (which is the most uncontrollable and raw source of fire). Juxtaposing an artificially decorative object with the uncontrollable natural source from which the object is made, the artist questions the legitimacy of technological advancements, and asks “is the ability to instantly control everything as benign as it seems?”
From a structural perspective, the sphere simultaneously acts as the eruption of a volcano and a lid to extinguish it. Contemporary German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk famously said that living in the Modern Age means paying the price of shellessness, and that our society is in a constant state of creating, shattering, re-constructing and re-defining spheres. Similarly, Gutiérrez suggests that our desires lie both inside and outside her volcanic spheres which are simultaneously containing and erupting. The title “Prelude” hints that this conflict might have existed at the very beginning but was only discovered and re-discovered throughout history.
Installation view, Return to the End of the World, 2021. Burnished clay, stainless steel. Courtesy of the artist and Proyecto Paralelo.
A Dadaist Finale
The exhibition consists of 15 series of works throughout the artist’s young career, all of which are diverse in medium but consistent in their contribution towards a discussion of how to live with the past. Gutiérrez’s fluency in archeological studies is evident. However, what is more important is that the artist, through the examples of all the works on display, emphasizes that the reason to study history is not to be lost in the factual details, but to understand that past events and antique objects are exemplifications of ideas and concepts which might or might not be old. The difference between what is timed and what is timeless could very well be whether or not something is extrapolatable.
The piece that is strategically placed to conclude the show is another highlight of this well-curated exhibition which is both timely and timeless. “Return to the End of the World” references Courbet's “L'Origine du monde,” but replaced the master painter’s descriptive scenery with a household object - a burnished clay tray. The artist inserted a metal drain strainer at the very center. This modified object was then curiously placed vertically on the wall. At current times when most of us are well aware of the issues in labor and reproduction, Gutiérrez unveils the “selective” nature of industrialization which is often overlooked. A container which is used to “hold” actually “releases”. This process is sometimes elective but at other times an inevitability. The plate being stood up and exhibited vertically was perhaps a shoutout to Duchamp, but aside from “all can be art,” it ultimately reminds us art is not valued at its omnipotence, but at its flaws. This dadaist finale of the exhibition proves once again that great artists not only create, but also re-create, re-organize and recognize.