This exhibition presents a selection of paintings spanning the last two decades in the career of Chilean-American artist Jorge Tacla. Iconic series such as Injury Report, Identidad Oculta, and Señal de Abandono focus on buildings and urban spaces in distress after catastrophic events, whether from natural, social, or political causes. Devoid of human presence, these structures become protagonists. They are palpable evidence of individual and social traumas that are intrinsic to our identity.
This is true not only of the subject matter but of the technique that the artist has developed over the years. Complex layers of materials interact and react with each other, creating marks that Tacla describes as scars on the skin. Effects such as blur, noise, splattering, and vibration strip the figures of their photographic precision and offer a very subjective interpretation of the scenes. On several occasions, Tacla has created an analogy between his work and the images of the old black-and-white TVs, where technology often conveyed human error. Indeed, much like on television, his paintings reveal current news, while also, through their language, warning us about the chaotic state of the world we live in.
The human figure prominently returns in paintings such as May 25, 2020 #4, (2022). The date in its title coincides with the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, a pivotal moment that ignited global protests and widespread calls for police reform and racial justice. At this time, Tacla attended and documented different rallies. With a similar visual language, the repeated faces and the gestures of these crowds convey instability and, as with the architecture, immortalize the memory of a broken social body.
May 9 - October 27, 2024
285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday - Friday; Sunday: 11 AM - 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM
