Rosario López Parra: “Insufflare”

September 15 – November 15, 2007

Casas Riegner Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of “Insufflare”, an exhibition by Colombian artist Rosario Lopez which thoroughly explores the notions of landscape and sculpture through a large-scale installation and a selection of photographs depicting seemingly deserted landscapes.

“Insufflare” picks up the thread of the artist’s previous exhibitions “Abyss” and “Wind Traps”, continuing this simultaneous exploration of the media of photography and sculpture. The project —developed almost entirely by López Parra while engaging in a period of artistic residence at the CAMAC, Marnay Art Center in France— proposes a new understanding of the concepts of landscape and sculpture. There is a tendency to think of the term landscape as a natural scenery or object of contemplation however, López expands on this familiar definition by asserting that it acts as “a container of natural forces” whose boundaries and structures can be altered when brought into relation with a three dimensional object such as an aluminum cloth.

In each of the photographs constituting the show, one can observe an aluminum cloth amidst the flat and infinite landscape that takes up an ever-changing form due to the natural forces (light, wind, temperature, movement, gravity) acting upon it. In other words, the aluminum cloth or sculptural element takes its form fortuitously due to the air that pushes and inflates its interior. The photographic records act as testimonies of the changing cloth’s movement, consequently bringing to notice the natural elements that exist within the landscape.

In connection to what has been previously stated, the artist redefines the notion of sculpture as “a space of constant change, transformation and movement” therefore breaking away from the traditional interpretation of the term. López Parra uses the medium of photography not only to capture the versatility and monumentality of the sculptural medium, but she also manages to powerfully convey the lightness and fragility that are rarely associated with the medium itself. In addition, the artist presents a large-scale installation made from aluminum foil sheets, silver threads and portable heaters, through which she artificially recreates the natural forces that inhabit the landscape. Through the installation, the artist carefully translates the monumentality and lightness exemplified by the sculptural object in her photographs, to the interior space of the gallery.

Lopez Parra’s “Insufflare”, clearly demonstrates that the term landscape is more than a mere natural scenery for contemplating. Through a sculptural object that is shaped and molded by the natural elements constituting the landscape, the artist makes visible those hidden and fundamental forces that determine our existence.

Rosario López Parra studied Fine Arts in her hometown Bogotá and later traveled to London where she earned a Master’s Degree in Sculpture from The Chelsea College of Art and Design. She has participated in several group shows both locally and abroad, such as the VII Art Biennale of Bogotá (2000), an event in which she received First Prize. In 2006 she was selected by curator Robert Storr to represent Colombia at the 52nd International Exhibition, Venice Biennale 2007. Moreover, part of her project “Insufflare” is currently being exhibited in Rio de Janeiro at the Atelie da Imagem. López Parra works as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Fine Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Exhibiton Catalogue
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