In Bah! Forraje! waste materials from Hernández’s studio practice are transformed into bright accents that function as an eye-catcher for an object displayed as a luxury good. He highlights the fundamental role that commodity fetishism plays in his practice and the relevance of the outer skin of such an item. Hernández explores the notion of ‘Eidos’ (εἶδος), a Greek term that is usually translated into English as ‘idea’ or ‘form’, but that also means sight, aspect or looks. In neoliberal societies, the appearance, the eidos of the object, prevails not only over the specific labour that was expended on making it but also over its substantial matter. This work is made up of fragments of matter from a mass of air-dry clay mixed with waste materials that are subsequently fragmented into slices following a mechanical process and using an electric food slicer. The artist is interested in the industrial gesture of the machine and the change of perception, from seeing the matter from the front to looking inside. These processes, which are informed by the meat industry, remind us of how the body-soul dichotomy, so ingrained in mysticism, is materialised in the treatment of matter through capitalist production processes.
Albano Hernandez I Bah! Forraje! I Pippy Houldsworth Gallery I London, UK: Albano Hérnandez's solo show Bah! Forraje! at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery
Past event
