Juan Antonio & Margarita Monsalve: “Cámara Lúcida (simulacros)”

August 16 – September 7, 2007 

Casas Riegner Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibitions “Cámara Lucida (simulacros)” by artists Juan Antonio & Margarita Monsalve and “No todo es blanco y negro” (Not everything is Black and White) by emerging artist Rodrigo Echeverri.

“Cámara Lucida (simulacros)” by Juan Antonio & Margarita Monsalve is an investigation of the current situation of the photographic image, drawing increasingly on the relationship between photography and reality, hence the history of the medium itself. The artists present a series of photographic assemblages, digital photographs and a video installation, all of which depict the city as the central theme. In doing so, the artists present their own vision of the modern city through images that have been recomposed to form scenes or three-dimensional atmospheres that deviate from reality, but nevertheless, depict fragments of real cities.

Since its inception, the camera has been thought of as a means of recording reality.  Photography was regarded as having a unique potential for presenting a complete representation of the world however, with the development of digital imaging and its manipulative nature, the idea of photography as being a testimony of reality has lost validity. Through their photographic assemblages featuring images of London, Paris and Barcelona, Juan Antonio and Margarita Monsalve manage to defy photography’s capacity to transform the three dimensionality of the real world into a flat surface; they create illusionistic atmospheres by layering traditional photographic images developed on Kodalith film that consequently act as a sort of trompe l’oeil which mesmerize and attract the spectator’s attention. The dynamism and continuous flow of the city and its inhabitants are powerfully conveyed throughout the entire exhibition which in turn is the result of the artists’ ongoing interest in urban sociology and development.

Concentrating on major themes such as photography and the city, “Cámara Lucida (simulacros)” presents a range of visual and aesthetic responses to the artists’ own visions, experiences and perceptions of the modern city, and to French philosopher Roland Barthes’ investigation of photography. Moreover, besides acting as testimonies of events that never occurred, the photographic works presented in the exhibition add new meaning to the realm of photography.

Architect and photographer Juan Antonio Monsalve and visual artist and professor Margarita Monsalve have been collaborating since 1999. Their work has been widely exhibited both locally and abroad in cities such as Miami, Mexico City and Barcelona.

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