THE UNEMPESTIVE

The set of works proposed for Zona Maco Arte Contemporáneo by La Balsa Arte presents three points of view on current art, which, due to their specificity, constitute stories that explore the relationship between contemporaneity and history. These approaches, paradoxically complementary and opposite, are presented by Juan Osorno (Colombia, 1993) with drawing, Radenko Milak (Bosnia and Herzegovina 1980) with black and white wash and Miguel Cárdenas (Colombia, 1973), with oil painting.

Juan Osorno's work explores the relationship between art and science, taking as reference man's attempts to decipher the universe and face his fears of possible extraterrestrial company. In a similar vein, he questions modern thought as an aspiration towards beauty, comfort or knowledge. Through impeccable drawings, his questions are directed to what 'can be' of history as a possibility, rather than to scientific certainties.

In the series 'Inventos Fallidos' (Failed Inventions), his attention is directed to the technological revolution applied to the sphere of the home and everyday life, which has been the subject of continuous transformations supported by new technical and material technologies. For every successful proposal, there are countless failures. Reminding us of the thought of Karl Popper, for whom “… the formation of knowledge becomes a fundamental part as an evolutionary process that starts from problems and has attempts at solutions and exclusion of failed attempts.”1

Bosnian artist Radenko Milak presents works from his research titled 'University of Disaster,' composed of a visual atlas of the imaginaries of the modern world. It reviews both the images of the emblematic catastrophic events of the 20th century, as well as the indelible legacy of black and white cinema of the 20th century. He visually explores the approaches of the French philosopher Paul Virilio and his approach to the necessary accident derived and consistent with the logic of speed and acceleration, with progress in a science that does not know the consequences of his actions. Milak has obtained international recognition for his multiple exhibitions and for his bold attention to different contemporary conflict scenarios, such as Syria, Lebanon or Colombia.

Miguel Cárdenas builds his images on the notion of a landscape of historical and imaginary nature. Metaphorically, his painting oscillates between a contemporary world primitively inhabited in the manner of Douanier Rousseau, where, through a reference to a primordial world, various mythical, organic and mineral organisms cohabit. Cárdenas's playful and enigmatic works reflect the anxiety of today's society towards nature, as well as an interest in drawing into the future myths such as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds or the Venus of Willendorf and a subtle echo of modern master art as in Klee, Kandisky and Miró.

These three artists face contemporaneity as an urgent and personal matter and make it an object of scrutiny, therefore, understood as an era and historical category, Roland Barthes defined it as 'the untimely', that which arises at the wrong time, "that is inadequate or inconvenient to do a certain thing, especially because it is too early or too late.”

Ana Patricia Gómez - Directora

1 https://www.uaeh.edu.mx/scige/boletin/prepa3/n9/r1.html