Artwork
Artist

Black Kites Perspective (6 Views)

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

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery. Photo © Cathy Carver

Black Kites Perspective (6 Views)

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.

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Courtesy Winsing Arts Foundation Photo © ANPIS FOTO
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Artist Biography
Gabriel Orozco
Born in 1962 in Jalapa, Mexico, Orozco hails from an artistic lineage that profoundly shaped his upbringing. After completing studies at the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain, in 1987, he embarked on a nomadic lifestyle, which greatly impacted his artistic practice. Orozco once presided over the Taller de los Viernes (Friday Workshop) from 1987 to 1992, which served as a central hub for artists to discuss art and creativity. He held his first solo exhibition in 1983 and has since showcased his works in prestigious venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Serpentine Galleries in London, the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. From 2009 to 2011, Orozco was the focal point of major retrospective exhibitions held at prominent institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Kunstmuseum Basel in Basel, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern in London. His contributions to the art world have been recognized with numerous awards, and he has been a frequent participant in prestigious international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and Documenta in Kassel.
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