Jorge Macchi: Light and Weight

Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zahnradstrasse, Zurich

The title “Light and Weight” can be understood in two ways, with “Light” referring both to the visual sensation and the definition of weight – lightness as opposed to heaviness. The double literal sense of the term takes us straight to the center of Jorge Macchi’s work. His objects, drawings and installations can always be viewed and read is different ways. In the exhibition this becomes apparent from the start, as one enters the gallery space and encounters a series of small and medium-sized works on paper. In his drawings and watercolor paintings, Jorge Macchi uses the fluidity of the medium to capture images as he envisions them. Macchi’s drawings are above all simple and detached from a specific context. The images float on the white space of the paper. The fluidity of the medium stands in stark contrast to the geometric motif of the circle template, which appears in several works and is shown in various conditions: Eyes are added; the circle template is blurred, merged, or burned (See invitation card: Peep, 2011, watercolor and pencil on paper, 29,5 x 42 cm; or Spillage, 2011, watercolor on paper, 30 x 40 cm). To the side of these works a tangible template is shown – a handkerchief showing circle holes in various sizes and embroidered with numbers. Titled Air the object playfully alludes to the volatility of the air passing through the perforations in the fabric, rendering the drawing aid useless (2012, fabric and cotton thread, Ed. of 6, 16 x 27 cm).

 

The new sculpture Illumination captures one’s attention immediately upon entering the first space. Seemingly effortless a pointy star balances itself on the ground, and only a second look reveals the weight of the material: Cement. It takes a third glance to recognize the true nature of the object: This is no star, but rather a bundle of light beams that belong to seven flashlights (2012, 7 flashlights and cement, 285 x 285 x 285 cm). That an artwork seems to change before our eyes is an inherent quality of Jorge Macchi’s work. This is also true of the video installation XYZ,2012. Projected directly into a corner, the 1-channel projection shows a Swiss railway station clock, with its’ clock hands aligning themselves with the space coordinates. Whoever has seen Jorge Macchi’s video artwork 10:51 knows that according to the artist it is quite possible for time and space to interfere with each other.

 

If the other works are a matter of light, then Projection, 2012, addresses the issue of weight. The room specific installation occupies the entire second room and is made up of a partition wall (250 x 340 cm), which is tilted backwards and held in place only by a series of steel cables coming out of one point high up on the opposite wall. Limmat, 2012, another artwork of Jorge Macchi will be shown in the public space in Zurich as part of the exhibition project “Art and the City”. Further exhibition participations of Jorge Macchi in 2012 include the Biennial of Sydney, Australia, and the Biennial of Liverpool, England. In 2011 the large single exhibition “Music Stands Still” was shown at Stedelijk Museum voor Actuelle Kunst in Ghent. The exhibition catalog can be obtained through the gallery.