Description

Catalogue of the exhibition Alejandra Seeber / Leda Catunda. Out of the Ordinary , presented at Malba between February 19 and October 11, 2021.

Launching the Parallel 1|| 3 project conceived by Gabriela Rangel, artistic director of Malba since 2019, the museum organized an exhibition dedicated to Alejandra Seeber (Buenos Aires, 1969) and Leda Catunda (São Paulo, 1961), two internationally recognized Latin American artists whose aesthetic investigations delve into the possibilities of painting.

Published to coincide with the exhibition, the book, from its design to its materiality, resonates with the project's title. In parallel, and in two different rooms of the museum, the works of each artist unfold to foster a unique dialogue—both with each other and with the exhibition space—which becomes visible in the section of reproduced works, illuminated by three central texts written specifically for the publication. In the curatorial essay, researcher Francisco Lemus reviews the work of both artists in light of their painting techniques and knowledge, and the influence they receive from urban culture, modern art, design, music, and nature. For his part, American critic and poet John Yau contextualizes the works of Seeber and Catunda within the contemporary trajectory of painting and meticulously examines some of their most representative pieces. The volume also includes an interview by Josefina Barcia with both artists, allowing us to approach some of their shared concerns through their own voices.

“In expanding the boundaries of painting—an endeavor that simultaneously challenges its privileged status—Catunda and Seeber take the discipline into new territory where the subject matter is serious but not taken too seriously. Both artists are able to imbue their work with humor and social awareness. They question the standards of what constitutes beauty and refined aesthetic experience for the viewer and invite them to do the same. The touches of vulgarity present in their works remind us of what was forgotten with the rise of the austerity of minimalism and conceptual art. This vulgarity vivifies their works. In a world that seems to be heading toward ever-increasing forms of intolerance, humor and vulgarity are ways of resisting social rigidity. This alone is enough to consider the works of Catunda and Seeber as necessary and urgent.” —John Yau

Authors
Gabriela Rangel
John Yau
Francisco Lemus
Josefina Barcia

Technical specifications
Published by: Malba
Year: 2020
Type: Exhibition catalog
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 28 x 22 cm
Weight: 560 gr
Language: Bilingual - Spanish / English
Pages: 108
ISBN: 978-987-47588-0-4