GÉOMÉTRIES SUD, DU MEXICO TO THE TERRE DE FEU, AN ODE TO LATIN AMERICAN STYLES AT FONDATION CARTIER PARIS
Géométries Sud, du Mexique à la Terre de Feu (South Geometries From Mexico To Land Of Fire) celebrates the wealth of colour and diversity of styles and artistic approaches to geometric abstraction in Latin America. The exhibition brings together 250 artworks by over 70 different artists from the Pre- Columbian period to present: ranging from modernist abstract art, sculpture and architecture to ceramics, weaving, and body painting. Including specially commissioned installations by Bolivian architect Freddy Mamani, and Paraguayan architecture duo Solano Benítez and Gloria Cabral; the show will also feature the first presentation of a unique collection of sculptures by Gego in Paris; and showcase indigenous works from Paraguay for the first time in Europe.
The exhibition opens with a spectacular ballroom designed by the Bolivian-born architect of Aymara origin, Freddy Mamani, whose work is inspired by the geometric motifs characteristic of Tiwanaku culture and the spirit of Andean village festivals.
Solano Benítez and Gloria Cabral, winners of the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, use panels of shattered bricks and concrete to create a monumental work based on the principle of repetition. A rhythmic construction that plays with the light coming into the gallery space, this installation, assembled in a delicate equilibrium using a modular system of triangles, runs the length of the facade of the Fondation Cartier building.
A remarkable group of 23 intricate wire sculptures by the acclaimed Venezuelan artist Gego will also be on display. These works, many of which are on loan from the Fundación Museos Nacionales in Venezuela, have been brought together for the first time in Paris.
The lower level galleries present more than 220 works from a variety of cultures and time periods, connecting the ancient with the contemporary, modernist art with Amerindian culture. These include works by Joaquín Torres García (Uruguay), paintings by Guillermo Kuitca (Argentina), Milhazes Beatriz (Brazil) and Carmelo Arden Quin (Uruguay), who also launched the Madí Movement, as well as sculptural pieces by Lygia Clark (Brazil) and Olga de Amaral (Colombia).
The works of major contemporary photographers such as Claudia Andujar (Brazil) and Miguel Rio Branco (Brazil) are presented alongside historical pictures by Lázaro Blanco, (Mexico) and Martín Chambi (Peru) and photographic studies of indigenous tribes by Guido Boggiani (Italy), Martin Gusinde (Austria) and Claude Lévi-Strauss (France).
The exhibition also highlights the works of under-recognised artists, including a series of large canvases by Carmen Herrera, a pioneer of Cuban minimalism, photographs by Anna Mariani depicting the colorful facades of the houses in north-eastern Brazil, and the abstract patterned landscapes of Alfredo Volpi (Brazil). Numerous works created by the Ishir Indians (or Chamacoco) of Paraguay for their ceremonies and rituals are presented here for the first time in Europe.
