Horacio Zabala, (Hipotesis), arte-blogarte.org, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2018, ed. 40

Zabala was born in Argentina in 1943, and over the years he's established himself as one of that country's key conceptual artists. This accordion bookwork explores issues and concerns that are key areas of exploration in Zabala's broader image-making practice. Of the larger concerns of the Hypothesis works, Zabala explains below:

The Hypothesis Series is an ongoing investigation into the relationships between monochrome (painting without image or composition) and signs (grammatical or mathematical). Although both are visible presences, my interest is oriented not only towards what is seen, but also towards what is thought of what is seen.

Generally speaking, I am more interested in the relationships between things than things themselves. My preliminary projects arise from the temptation to point out, activate or resolve something about the correspondences, links and analogies between monochrome and signs. [http://www.artehispano.com.ar/Horacio_Zabala_Anteproyectos_y_

Hipotesis.html]

Furthermore, these punctuated monochromes can only suggest different series and combinations, and the onus is placed on the viewer to make sense of these 'sentences' composed of symbols and signs that reference both logic and reason. 

It took me a little time to wrap my head around what Zabala is doing across this series, but now I can see a beautiful elegance in the interplay between these non-objective symbols and their sequencing, and their presentation in a kind of image sentence. It's worth taking the time to seek out the paintings and sculptural works that Zabala has created as he explores these themes across different media.

4 pages, single page 9" by 8.25", and when fully open 4' 1.5".

Stephen Perkins, Sampler: Distinct Taupe - Pepper Shake, 2019, ed. 1

I can never resist grabbing extra bunches of these color sample cards whenever I'm buying paints.

9 pages of assorted widths, height 4", when opened 25".

Nando Murio, Casa de Acuario (House of Aquarius), silk-screen, Concordia Publishing, Mexico, 2020, ed. 40

I'm not exactly sure what is going in this rather delicate screen print, but there seems to be a number of primordial figures and creatures moving around in an indeterminate kind of landscape. 

The zodiac element for Aquarius is air, and its symbol is Ganymede, the water-carrier. Ganymede was the son of Tros, who just happened to be the king of Troy. Zeus fell in love with him, and ever since that time Ganymede served as the cupbearer of the gods [wikipedia]. This accordion appears to be illustrating some of the adventures and mis-adventures visited upon our poor hero. Either way a cool accordion by this master printer from Querera, Mexico.

Sixteen pages, single page 6.5" x 3.5". When fully opened 2ft 11". 

 Back