Opening: Saturday August 5th 1pm
In the Open is part of a process of several years, rooted in numerous expeditions by Carlos Gómez Centurión to the mountains and hills of Argentina. On this occasion, these experiences have been condensed in an installation specifically crafted for the Usina del Arte within the framework of BIENALSUR 2023. In this endeavour, the artist delves into his own identity as a stranger in a harsh unfamiliar land through a practice dedicated to forging connections between humanity and nature. Using large-format paintings arranged in a polyhedral structure, Gómez Centurión aims to construct an immersive atmosphere: this succinct architecture houses five substantial canvases that strive to serve as both a sky and a previous interval. Drawing from numerous visits made in recent years to locations such as the Salinas Grandes, the Las Señoritas hill in Jujuy and the Mercedario hill in the high San Juan mountain range, among others, the artist explores, acknowledges and develops methods to craft pieces that seek to make a place for themselves in the face of the unfathomable, thereby engaging with the primal anxieties of human self-awareness. In Gómez Centurión's work, the terrestrial collides with the vastness of the unknown. He presents this as an ever-open situation, always ready for re-exploration. Thus, he endeavours to unfold a series of experiences in diverse latitudes and heights, serving as a reminder of the disproportion between the immensity of the universe and the smallness of the human. In this piece, pigments and other synthetic materials, organic elements, and tangible records of human gestures construct a membrane through we can catch a glimpse a unique kind of “in the open”: that of finding oneself vis a vis the entirety of existence.
As part of this approach to the artist's work, a documentary entitled Carlos Gómez Centurión, Digo El Mercedario, produced and directed by Raphael Castoriano and Gustavo Travieso, will be screened. Set against the backdrop the Andes Mountain Range, this documentary portrays the close connection between the painter and his environment. It chronicles a journey on which he and his team embarked in order to immerse themselves in experiences, materials, and forms. The documentary reveals a deeper side that is not always accessible to spectators and transports them to the place that inspires the artist’s work.
Curated by: Carlos Herrera
Texts: Carlos Gutierrez and Alberto Sánchez Maratta
Carlos Goméz Centurión's work presented at USINA DEL ARTE within the framework of BIENALSUR 2023 was made with the support of Fundación Banco de Entre Ríos, Fundación Banco de Santa Cruz, Fundación Banco de Santa Fe, Fundación Banco de San Juan, Transporte Rodríguez and Kolormax.
Image: Carlos Gómez Centurión, Imprimiendo frotage. Alto del Colorado Valley. 4,500 masl
Photographs: Gustavo Muñoz, Ciro Novelli and Federico Lo Bianco.
Sound piece: Ignacio Mazzuco in collaboration with Juan Manuel Patricio
