Gabriel Orozco
1997/ printed 2008
Fuji crystal chromogenic archive C-print
64.8 x 113.7 x 3.8 cm (#1/15)
Winsing Arts Collection

Gabriel Orozco
1997/ printed 2008
Fuji crystal chromogenic archive C-print
64.8 x 113.7 x 3.8 cm (#1/15)
Winsing Arts Collection
In 1996, Orozco, afflicted with a lung ailment, underwent a period of home convalescence, during which he devoted a significant amount of time to the study of skulls. "I wanted to make it a very slow process, enjoy this process, go into this thing.", the artist once said. "Black Kites" was conceived by Orozco for the 1997 Documenta exhibition in Kassel. Over several months, he painstakingly rendered checkerboard patterns on skulls with a pencil. The deliberate juxtaposition of systematic grids against the organic forms of human skulls hints at a nuanced relationship. The duration Orozco spent immersed in the presence of these skulls lies at the heart of this artwork, underscoring the transient essence of life and encapsulating the symbolic imagery of death (memento mori), as well as the recurrent motif of skulls in Mexican art and culture. This piece was featured in his solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010.
