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Sebastian Mejia | Botellitas
Exhibition
Sebastian Mejia | Botellitas
11 Dec 2016 – 28 Jan 2017
Address
- Wallstrasse 10
- Basel
Basel-Stadt - 4051
- Switzerland
balzer projects is pleased to announce Sebastian Mejia’s third solo show in the gallery,
entitled Botellitas. On view is a new series of urban landscapes and a multi-perspective work, one of his ‘canonical masterpiece galleries’, entitled Zu Viel ist zu Wenig.
About
Mejia’s work taps into the ongoing dialogue between the hybrid culture of Latin America and deeply rooted European cultural traditions. The native Colombian’s objects, photographs, videos and installations are experimental set-ups. He addresses issues of globalization ambiguously, arguing that it does not open, but close international creative dialectical channels. Mejia is particularly concerned with the cultural dichotomies between the developing and developed world, as their history and presence reflect contemporary political tensions.
Botellitas keenly taps into this political context and evaluates landscape as concept. Utopian scenarios are explored, ranging from the architectural landscapes of megacities to the conceptual and poetic landscapes of art historical traditions. Mejia’s work is never without irony and a sense of humor. By using the seemingly “unsophisticated” medium of permanent marker on plastic, the artist not only questions his own position within the canon, but also gives way to a continuous discourse over the classification of high and low art.
In Botellitas, Mejia takes the viewer onto a utopian expedition. City skylines are created through the compositional construction of, mostly recycled, plastic bottles. Urbanity and the effects of the accumulation of trash are interwoven with organic and living organisms. Through Mejia’s unique and consistent choice of materials, he is not only mimicking the traditional composition of a painting, he also creates a dialogue between the realms of mass production and artistic practice.
In addition to the foil landscapes, Botellitas also showcases a new monumental perspective piece. Zu Viel ist zu Wenig is reminiscent of Mejia’s earlier work, such as Painting Exhibition or Spring Salon. A trompe-l’oeil, Mejia’s work echoes the extensive museum halls with massive gold-framed masterpieces of the dominant Western canon. When approaching the individual works in illusionary museum halls, the viewer discovers subjects from humorous to banal.
