Johanna Calle: “Zona Tórrida”

May 25 – June 30, 2006

Beginning Thursday May 25, 2006, Casas Riegner Gallery will present “ zona torrida” (torrid zone), a ground-breaking exhibition devoted to new drawings by artist Johanna Calle.

Calle, a distinguished artist within the contemporary Colombian art milieu will present her latest project titled “torrid zone,” a series of ink drawings of diverse foliage that depict with great precision the structure of plant leaves that have been altered by external factors such as pollution and/or toxic herbicides. In the botanical drawings presented here, the artist has chosen to employ either words or diminutive lines as formal elements that allow her to convey a compelling message. Each of these malformed or bifurcated leaves has been carried out with great meticulousness and precision, for the leaf is the “main synthesizing organ” of the plant. The process of photosynthesis—the most important biochemical process—takes place in plant leaves, thus making these vital to life on Earth.

In other words, the leaves that constitute this exhibition are manifestations of the current ecological unbalance that is harming our planet, and in consequence will have serious repercussions in the future. The artist defines this project as a “diagnosis” or better yet as the result of months of careful investigation and keen observation through which she attempts to awaken the public. Not only do these drawings bring to notice the harmful effects of herbicides on the environment, they also act as signifiers that point to the delicate socio-political and economic situation that afflicts Colombia. Above all, they attest to the complexity and richness of the Latin American artistic production that feeds from its external reality.

For Calle, the technique of drawing is an artistic expression that allows her to be both direct and descriptive while at the same time very intimate. “Torrid zone” is an exhibition where the disciplines of art and botany interact in a harmonious manner, thereby generating a body of work that is delicate and subtle. However, beyond this refinement lies an aesthetic and conceptual power that incites the viewer to reflect and inquire into unresolved matters.