Our ARTBO 2022 booth presents a dialogue between the different conceptual and formal proposals of four of our represented artists: Jaime Ávila, Marcela Cárdenas, Luis Hernández Mellizo and Juan Rodríguez Varón. Seeking to articulate a proposal that reveal the production of works of art from two points of investigation; the approach to nature and, on the other hand, the place of the artist in society, questioning the context and the city-art relationship in a critical way.
The dialogue between the selected works contrast the way in which abstraction and representation address similar themes and they have developed in different movements and generations of Latin American artists. Thus, the stand will present the formal exploration of different biological processes in the work of Marcela Cárdenas and the treatment of materiality, light and the contemplation of nature by Juan Rodríguez Varón. On the other side, the study of contemporary social and political phenomena in pieces by Jaime Avila and Luis Hernandez Mellizo are translated into works as critical comments on the way we experience cities and urban centers, addressing different topics and media such as installation, photography, drawing, among others.
Nueveochenta opened its doors in March 2007 as a space dedicated to the diffusion of contemporary Latin American art, maintaining special emphasis on the plastic and commercial consolidation of a group of artists at both a local and international level. In addition, it seeks to expand its reach through links with major international galleries for the exchange of artists and proposals.
The project aims to maintain the basic roles of a gallery and understands that accompanying the careers of the represented artists is a very important mission, as is the role of the space as a generator of tools for the consolidation of their proposals.
The main interest of Juan Rodríguez Varón (Bogotá, 1988) as an artist has been the formal exploration of the pictorial medium as a process. Fluctuating between the abstract and the figurative, his paintings seek to reveal the relationships that are established between different elements, particularly spaces, objects, light and atmospheres. It is through these tensions that the artist shapes his paintings as new presences. Rodríguez Varón is a Master of Arts at the University of the Andes and he holds Master's degree in painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He currently lives and works in Bogota.
The main interest of Juan Rodríguez Varón (Bogotá, 1988) as an artist has been the formal exploration of the pictorial medium as a process. Fluctuating between the abstract and the figurative, his paintings seek to reveal the relationships that are established between different elements, particularly spaces, objects, light and atmospheres. It is through these tensions that the artist shapes his paintings as new presences. Rodríguez Varón is a Master of Arts at the University of the Andes and he holds Master's degree in painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He currently lives and works in Bogota.
The main interest of Juan Rodríguez Varón (Bogotá, 1988) as an artist has been the formal exploration of the pictorial medium as a process. Fluctuating between the abstract and the figurative, his paintings seek to reveal the relationships that are established between different elements, particularly spaces, objects, light and atmospheres. It is through these tensions that the artist shapes his paintings as new presences. Rodríguez Varón is a Master of Arts at the University of the Andes and he holds Master's degree in painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He currently lives and works in Bogota.
The artistic production of Marcela Cárdenas (Medellín, 1973) develops as a formal exploration of the biological processes of the human being. Her sculptures, installations and illustrations question the boundaries between the inert and the organic, and through the hybridization of the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms propose a new view on nature. Her work is part of the collection of the Banco de la República de Colombia and has been exhibited in cities such as Bogotá, Medellín and Madrid. She lives and works in Medellín.
The artistic production of Marcela Cárdenas (Medellín, 1973) develops as a formal exploration of the biological processes of the human being. Her sculptures, installations and illustrations question the boundaries between the inert and the organic, and through the hybridization of the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms propose a new view on nature. Her work is part of the collection of the Banco de la República de Colombia and has been exhibited in cities such as Bogotá, Medellín and Madrid. She lives and works in Medellín.
The artistic production of Marcela Cárdenas (Medellín, 1973) develops as a formal exploration of the biological processes of the human being. Her sculptures, installations and illustrations question the boundaries between the inert and the organic, and through the hybridization of the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms propose a new view on nature. Her work is part of the collection of the Banco de la República de Colombia and has been exhibited in cities such as Bogotá, Medellín and Madrid. She lives and works in Medellín.
Jaime Avila (Bogotá, 1966 – Bogotá, 2020) is mostly in contemporary urban dynamics and the hidden interpretative layers that characterize everyday street scenes. Through an ethnographic perspective, he seeks to highlight the codes that determine the ways of inhabiting, occupying and circulating public space, addressing these issues from different media, among which photography and installation stand out. His work is included in the collections of the Banco de la República de Colombia, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, the SPACE Collection (formerly Sayago & Pardon) and the Fundación Cisneros Fontanals -CIFO, among others.
Jaime Avila (Bogotá, 1966 – Bogotá, 2020) is mostly in contemporary urban dynamics and the hidden interpretative layers that characterize everyday street scenes. Through an ethnographic perspective, he seeks to highlight the codes that determine the ways of inhabiting, occupying and circulating public space, addressing these issues from different media, among which photography and installation stand out. His work is included in the collections of the Banco de la República de Colombia, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, the SPACE Collection (formerly Sayago & Pardon) and the Fundación Cisneros Fontanals -CIFO, among others.
Jaime Avila (Bogotá, 1966 – Bogotá, 2020) is mostly in contemporary urban dynamics and the hidden interpretative layers that characterize everyday street scenes. Through an ethnographic perspective, he seeks to highlight the codes that determine the ways of inhabiting, occupying and circulating public space, addressing these issues from different media, among which photography and installation stand out. His work is included in the collections of the Banco de la República de Colombia, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, the SPACE Collection (formerly Sayago & Pardon) and the Fundación Cisneros Fontanals -CIFO, among others.
The production of Luis Hernández Mellizo (Bogotá, 1978) addresses different concerns related to the painter's activity —seen from a material, historical and conceptual perspective— and the artist's place in society. His work establishes a critical view of the local context and proposes a re-signification of political discourses and the relationship between city, art and society. He completed an MA in Combined Artistic Languages at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes in Buenos Aires and a BA in Plastic Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has carried out artistic residencies in spaces such as BijlmAIR (Amsterdam) and URRA (Buenos Aires) and has exhibited in cities such as Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Ghent, Bogota, Cali and Medellin. He lives and works between Bogota and Buenos Aires.
The production of Luis Hernández Mellizo (Bogotá, 1978) addresses different concerns related to the painter's activity —seen from a material, historical and conceptual perspective— and the artist's place in society. His work establishes a critical view of the local context and proposes a re-signification of political discourses and the relationship between city, art and society. He completed an MA in Combined Artistic Languages at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes in Buenos Aires and a BA in Plastic Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has carried out artistic residencies in spaces such as BijlmAIR (Amsterdam) and URRA (Buenos Aires) and has exhibited in cities such as Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Ghent, Bogota, Cali and Medellin. He lives and works between Bogota and Buenos Aires.
The production of Luis Hernández Mellizo (Bogotá, 1978) addresses different concerns related to the painter's activity —seen from a material, historical and conceptual perspective— and the artist's place in society. His work establishes a critical view of the local context and proposes a re-signification of political discourses and the relationship between city, art and society. He completed an MA in Combined Artistic Languages at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes in Buenos Aires and a BA in Plastic Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has carried out artistic residencies in spaces such as BijlmAIR (Amsterdam) and URRA (Buenos Aires) and has exhibited in cities such as Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Ghent, Bogota, Cali and Medellin. He lives and works between Bogota and Buenos Aires.