In his exhibition, Becoming Forest, Mario Vélez invites us to enter an uncanny forest that emerges from his explorations of nature and the consequences of the war in Colombia. In this exhibition, we find three important paths of his artistic practice. The first is his interest in the territory, in this case, the forest. A second aspect is the axis mundi or axis of the world, as a point of connection between heaven and earth, which opens the doors to a symbolic world. The third aspect is the exploration of his unconscious and the collective unconscious.
The exhibition features large and small format paintings that capture universes scattered on the canvas; planetary systems where we can discover from a star to an atom. From these dialogues between the paintings, his sculptures emerge: the ovoids. Some are large, others small, cast in bronze, covered in canvas or in colored pigments and quartz powder simulating the great stones of the simulating the large onyx stones that are in that forest that connect with everything. We also find paintings with titles that hint at their content, such as Origen (Origin), Desembocar (Flow out), Historias individuales (Individual histories), Retoños (Sprouts), among others.
In particular, Vélez reaffirms painting in a complex moment and has approached the theme of war and armed conflict with several series such as Rojo amanecer (Red dawn) (1992), Fracciones, pedazos, piezas (Fractions, parts, pieces) (1998 - 1999), Pequeñas guerras (Small Wars) (2008), Restituciones (Restitutions) (2011). In his most recent work, camouflage appears in the background of his canvases, which makes what is found in the forest disguised in green and brown colors, all that is hidden in nature. Although his work is abstract, we are reminded of the military uniforms, beings that like chameleons blend into the geography. The protagonists of the recent wars are registered here: military, paramilitary, and guerrilla fighters. At the same time, the jungles and forests both embrace the civilian population, and are the exit passage when in search of protection and a new life.
The invitation is to immerse ourselves in this forest proposed by Mario Vélez. A forest, composed of paintings, sculptures, and an enveloping soundscape.
