Casa Zirio presents a duo exhibition that embraces a distinctive visual language and a powerful narrative rooted in contemporary themes that explore consumerism, nature, and the human condition with the works of contemporary artists: Mario Vélez and Rafael Gomezbarros.
The complicated array of territorial behaviors is considerably increasing due to the polarizing nature between a need for peace and relentless violence. Understanding landscape as territory is structured so as to explore the resonances and reverberations between place and memory. These tensions are manifested in the paintings of Mario Vélez.
Conversely, Gomezbarros is fascinated by the consequences of the Colombian post-capital society, where inequality and poverty are abundant, and wealth is concentrated in only a few. Furthermore, he continues his explorations of consumerism and socioeconomic disparity in his series The Specialty of the House. Gomezbarros believes that the sense of being part of a community is dismantled when the consumer is stripped of a need for mediation, consensus, and collaboration. The chromed spoons are a testament to these diminished returns through time.
Memory and memories connect local history and locality to the ever-changing landscapes. It lives and is alive. It becomes a part of new formations and brings us back to our roots. The participating artists draw together a sense of this unity between internal and external, between history and the predictions, fears, and hopes for the future.