Jan 22, 2020 jorge mendez blake the castle, 2007, bricks, edition of franz kafkas the castle detail, 2300 x 1750 x 400 cm. At the james cohan gallery in new york, he exhibited a wall entitled amerika, based on a. Guadalajara, mexico, 1974 lives and works in guadalajara, mexico. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake makes a brilliant statement about the impact a single act can have.
Upon closer inspection you see that the cause is not what you might think, a tool perhaps, but a book. Jorge mendes book the key to mendes and 7 surprising. A single book disrupts the foundation of a brick wall by. Born in 1974, in guadalajara, mexico lives and works in guadalajara, mexico. The wall spans almost the entire width of the library, stopping only 80 cm before reaching either side of the building. This installation shows the power of a book by distorting the. He manipulates classic literature by drawing it into. The mortarless wall bulges at the site of the inserted text, creating an arch that extends to the top of the precarious structure. Condos and apartments around the nation opt for a novel amenity. Dec 01, 2016 jorge mendez blake forthcoming, in stock, and outofprint title information on museum exhibition catalogs, art monographs, and international books from the artbook d. The bend in the walls line produced by the book, separates the bricks enough so that it is the. Rms new other literature series highlights the importance of libraries. Jorge mendez blake human condition, no time for me, dear.
Mar 10, 2016 jorge mendez blake is a mixedmedia, conceptual artist from guadalajara, mexico, whose work revolves around books, libraries and literature. Edition of 10 jorge mendez blake, study for a marx library 1, 2009, acrylic on wall, 59 x 46 34 in. Implications of image show, sinaloa museum of art mexico 200506. My approach to books and language is more as a reader than as a critic. This installation shows the power of a book by distorting. More information find this pin and more on awesome art by thuy pham. Condos and apartments around the nation opt for a novel. One of the best symbols of the books power is an impressive art installation created by a mexican mixedmedia artist jorge mendez blake. One book disrupts the foundation of an entire brick wall by. Edition of 10 jorge mendez blake, from an unfinished work human wishes, 2014, aluminum, enamel, serigraph, lacquer, 8 x 8 x 8 cm, edition of 10, 2 ap.
Balancing the entire brick wall, the book creates a bulge and curve in the centre of the 75 x foot structure. Artist jorge mendez blake transforms literature into sculpture with his latest piece of installation art, the castle. It is a conscious gesture by mendez blake that beckons me to interrogate the unseen barriers of ideological nationalism, systemic racism, economic disparity, patriarchy, and xenophobia in the history spanning kafkas and my own. The castle is a 2007 project by mexican artist jorge mendez blake that subtly examines the impact of a single outside force. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake pays homage to literature by incorporating a copy of franz kafkas the castle into his latest piece of installation art. Jorge mendez blake s artworks oscillate between reality and fiction with the purpose of expanding different areas of knowledge. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake shows that brick walls meant to suppress you are no match for the knowledge within a single book. Jorge mendez blake works with books and the idea of books, connecting literature to the visual arts through assemblage, drawings, interventions, videos, and paintings.
Mexican mixed media artist jorge mendez blake transforms literature into sculpture with his latest piece of installation art, titled the castle. Get free ebooks the impact of a book by jorge mendez. Rather than the stories contained in literature, blake is deeply inspired by the atmosphere, sensations and thoughts resulting from reading a book. For the installation, he constructed a 75 x foot brick wall that balances on top of a single copy of franz kafkas the castle. The work of mendez blake takes references from diverse cultural environments with the attempt to create previously nonexisting connections between literature and architecture. Dear future human condition no time for me mixed media collage artists sculpture collages sculptures.
Award winners book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new releases. So, the book is like an intermediary between the content and the world. Sharoffs use of lus contemplation on the great wall also foreshadows jorge mendez blake s capitulo xxxviii. Brick wall deformed by a single book great installation by. Jorge mendez blake art monographs and museum exhibition catalogs.
Jorge mendez blake the impact of a book, 2007 the llery. At james cohan gallery, jorge mendez blake builds a wall. At first glance, the piece appears as a normal brick wall, but a closer look reveals a subtle curved bulge in the middle of the 75footlong structure. Installation reveals the metaphoric power of a single book. Jan 08, 2019 at james cohan gallery, jorge mendez blake builds a wall. In this sense, what we see of a book is very tricky because it can refer to the writer or story, or it can be very abstract. An architect by profession, mendez blake has evolved a conceptual language, both reductive and metaphorical, that translates literary texts into images, sculptures and installations referring to the great masters of universal literature. Finally, jorge mendez blake incorporates a third method of measuring into this body of work. Jorge mendez blake is a mexican born artist that draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental interventions. Although a more literary metaphor could be applied to explain his choice to use the book, blake wanted to communicate that small and unknown ideas could make a huge impact and that they could have a monumental presence regardless of how irrelevant. Jorge mendez blake s amerikaand, surely, all of the artworks displayed in james cohan gallery s group exhibit borderschallenges us to question the construction, purpose, and value of physical walls. Metaphorical installation art balances an entire brick wall on a book. An architect by profession, mendez blake has evolved a conceptual language, both reductive and metaphorical, that translates literary texts into images, sculptures and installations.
Mexican artist jorge mendez blake presented his threedimensional installation called the castle that portrays the impact of a single book to a society. If its physical presence can leave such an impact, imagine what the content would do for you. About jorge mendez blake from the beginning of his career, jorge mendez blake has explored the possible relations between literature and fine arts, and has developed a large body of work with drawings, sound works, sculptures and videos, always referring to the great masters of universal literature, such as william shakespeare, jules verne, franz kafka and jorge luis borges, among many others. Brick wall deformed by a single book great installation. The pangram, produced in guadalajara in a famous factory specializing in tapestries, measures 367 x 223cm, is a response to the relation between the area of ink and the area of paper used in the book. Once such example is the castle, which is a project by mexican artist jorge mendez blake that subtly examines the impact of a single outside force. Your eye moves along the wall, noticing a slight convex wave in the center. Books and buckling brick walls by jorge mendez blake azucar. Dec 20, 2019 jorge mendes book the key to mendes and 7 surprising revelations in it. This volume explores the theme in works by leading mexican artist jorge mendez blake. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Jorge mendez blake watch the tremendous impact one book can.
The internet is obsessed with this viral art installation by jorge mendez blake that shows the true power of a book. Trained as an architect, the artist builds walls and connects their history to literature. The impact of a book by jorge mendez blake the creative post. This viral art installation illustrates the power of a book. This book is a close collaboration between artist jorge mendez blake, curator rodrigo ortiz monasterio, and designer santiago da silva in the mutual interest on unfinished novels, libraries and the connections that can be made between literature and architecture. Other literature blake, jorge, demeuse, sarah, gerber, veronica, fabre, luis on. The exhibition is organized by annex m focusing on booksreaderswriters to take place during athens 2018 world book capital. The emblematic work the castle by the mexican artist jorge mendez blake is currently on view in athens, in athens concert hall, at the exhibition after babel curated by anna kafetsi. October 2005 january 2006, art central, guadalajara mexico 2004. It featured a brick wall, resting on franz kafkas book the castle.
Jorge mendez blake is a mexican born artist that draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental. Jorge mendez blake watch the tremendous impact one book can have. My modern met mexican artist jorge mendez blake shows. Mar 04, 2016 jorge mendez blake is a mexican born artist that draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental interventions. Jorge mendez blake draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental interventions. Jorge mendez blake complete poems for sale artspace. Jorge mendez blake, the art of loving, 2009, 10 bricks and book, 24 x 8 x 4 in. I think i tend toward the quotation, rather than toward the creation of new writing, he says. From the beginning of his career, jorge mendez blake has explored the possible relations between literature and fine arts, and has developed a large body of work with drawings, sound works, sculptures and videos, always referring to the great masters of universal literature, such as william shakespeare, jules verne, franz. The installation is called the castle and was constructed for the first time in 2007 at jose cornejo franco public library, in guadalajara, a town where mendez blake lives. Jorge mendez blake watch the tremendous impact one book.
Text by sarah demeuse, veronica gerber, luis felipe fabre, et al. I kneel to inspect the spine of the book from the front. A single book disrupts the foundation of a brick wall by jorge. Jorge mendez blake complete poems 2015 available for.
Jorge mendez blake talks to ana elena mallet, artist talk. Nov 03, 2016 the design of a book corresponds to its page count, fonts, and materials, but none of its exterior qualities can reflect the content properly. Jorge mendez blake born 1974 is a mexican mixedmedia conceptual artist. He translates texts into plastic art, physically rendering the thematic intricacies and dazzling plotlines of. Jorge mendez blake is a mixedmedia, conceptual artist from guadalajara, mexico, whose work revolves around books, libraries and literature. Jorge mendez blake melds literature and his love of architecture into large sculptures. In 2007 jorge mendez blake built a brick wall by superposing bricks on one another, without mortar, 22 meters long, dividing the jose cornejo franco library in guadalajara, mexico, into two approximately equal sections. In his work, literature becomes a tool that articulates situations, places and objects where each piece is full of theoretical meanings related to one another. The book chronicles the experiences of a young man who emigrates from europe to new york.
About jorge mendez blake jorge mendez blake works with books and the idea of books, connecting literature to the visual arts through assemblage, drawings, interventions, videos, and paintings. This wall was erected by jorge mendez blake, a mexican artist. I like reading literary criticism, but im working from the side of art, and art should propose different ways of understanding literature, not. Blakes work presents a single book at the bottom of the structure that manages to curve an entire 75footlong wall. Mendez blakes 2007 work the castle is inspired by franz kafkas novel of the same title is among his most imposing. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake created the castle in 2007. Rms new other literature series highlights the importance of libraries as structures of knowledge and as architectural entities. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your.
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