Martina Quesada
Bio
Martina Quesada (b. 1987, Houston, Texas) is a Argentinian Artist. She lives and works between Buenos Aires and Paris.
In past projects Quesada has been interested in the the construction of meaning within society through historical perspectives. Often questioning our ways of seeing and remembering as to go beyond social dogma, and that which seems certain and unchanging.
Many of her works consist in the use of simple geometrical systems to explore the intersection between the visible and the invisible, as well as the transition areas where transformation is triggered. Researching on how to disarticulate functional viewpoints in order to generate new ways of perceiving.
Recently, she has been working with sculpture, installation and video as to evoke personal introspection through the use of external references of nature and ancient sacred symbology. Part of Quesada’s investigation consists in the analysis of the impact of religious and sacred imagery on contemporary social dynamics. And how representation and information are conveyed and interiorized over time.
Her works are included in institutional and private collections such as MACBA and MALI museum.
Statement
Abstract Horizons
The Galería del Paseo (Manantiales-Lima) presents an individual project of the artist Martina Quesada (Houston 1987) in Pinta Miami 2023. The pictorial work created in recent years by this American-Argentine artist, who now lives in Paris, exudes an unparalleled originality, condensing several traditions and aesthetics, mainly associated with geometric abstraction (Constructivism, Madi, Minimalism).
This work unfolds through the development of abstract forms presented in polyptychs, masterfully using a complex interplay of colors. The relationship between these forms, the space in which they interact, and the colors employed serve to project subtle narratives concerning the subjective perception of a reality defined by space and time.
On this occasion, three pieces from her new series "Perspectives of an Abyss 2023" will be presented. In these recent works, the artist explores new ways of representing landscape, using polyptychs to reveal the evolution of the color blue in its various shades and nuances.
This sophisticated manipulation of color is based on a non-traditional technique of applying pigments directly onto the paper. In doing so, the colors symbolically project a certain notion of pre-industrial purity. This working method and the palette chosen for this series are subtly reminiscent of the work of Yves Klein.
However, Quesada's connection to the French artist goes beyond formal dimensions. It also seems to resonate with the narrative implied by these works, linked to the poetic dimension of space. In this sense, the title of the series is proposed as a kind of oxymoron that seeks not only to project a poetic dimension, but also to suggest the meaning that these abstract forms might have.
From this perspective, we can see that these spectra represent the moment of the dawn of a new day. These dawning moments are presented as symbols of renewed hope, the pursuit of the necessary resilience, the escape from the inevitable abyss.
Martina Quesada presents abstract emblems that subtly evoke an emotional dimension related to the fragile human existence. Once again, art demonstrates its boundless capacity to resist possible taxonomies, categories, or doctrines, and to continually establish new ways of relating to the real.
Manuel Neves
Curador
París, Julio 2023
Additional information
En la obra de Martina Quesada, el sofisticado manejo del color se basa en la técnica no tradicional de aplicar pigmentos de color directamente sobre el papel, así los colores proyectan simbólicamente una cierta idea de pureza preindustrial. La obra de Quesada se conecta con la narrativa que insinúan estas obras, relacionada con la dimension poética del espacio. En ese sentido el título de la serie "Perspectivas de un abismo 2023" se propone como una suerte de oximoron que busca, no solo proyectar una dimensión poética sino sugerir la significación que podrían tener esas formas abstractas. Desde esta perspectiva podemos reconocer que esos espectros representan el momento de la aurora de un nuevo día y evocan una dimensión emocional relacionada a la frágil existencia humana.
