Description

Catalogue of the exhibition Leandro Erlich. Liminal , presented at Malba between July 5 and October 27, 2019.

Liminal It was the first retrospective exhibition of Leandro Erlich's work held in the Americas. The artist decided to present it in his native country, choosing the Malba museum, where four years earlier he had created the site-specific project The Democracy of the Symbol . Curated by Dan Cameron, this major new exhibition brought together twenty-one installations produced over more than two decades, spread across the esplanade and two full levels of the museum, showcasing the playful yet reflective nature of the work of Erlich, one of the most celebrated contemporary artists on the global scene.

This exhibition catalogue reproduces gallery views of the exhibited pieces and a complementary selection that the artist has presented in various parts of the world. It also includes three texts written specifically for the book. A brief text by Luis Camnitzer opens the discussion by highlighting the subversion of perceptual order that Erlich's work entails. The curator's essay develops this same idea through the concept that gives the exhibition its title: the liminal, that space on the threshold between reality and fiction experienced in the artist's immersive installations. Finally, Julia Napier focuses on the almost mystical nature of the purely present attention that his works demand, on things as they are . The book was designed with four different dust jackets that reproduce some of his most celebrated works, such as Swimming Pool (The pool), an installation that remained in the museum until February 2020.

"It can be said that, beyond arbitrary orders, Leandro's work challenges the word 'order' both in its authority and its organization. It does so insidiously—in the vernacular one might say 'with malice'—because it does not create disorder, as would be obvious, but rather substitutes. (...) The impossible seems possible, the absurd becomes rational, and the known is called into question until it touches the unknown." —Luis Camnitzer

Authors
Luis Camnitzer
Dan Cameron
Julia Napier

Technical specifications
Published by: Malba
Year: 2019
Type: Exhibition catalog
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 26 x 20 cm
Weight: 700 gr
Language: Bilingual - Spanish / English
Pages: 192
ISBN: 978-987-47137-3-5