Polyptych 5, 2023

Rodrigo Etem  

This artwork is a digital collage juxtaposing multiple photographs of lush landscapes under varying skies, seamlessly blended to form a cohesive panorama. Dominating the piece are bold black arrows that punctuate each section, leading the viewer's eye across the montage. These arrows create directionality and narrative, suggesting a journey or progression. The natural elements, comprising verdant foliage and expansive skies, are vivid and richly textured, offering a sensory immersion into the depicted environments. The collage technique is masterfully executed, with subtle transitions between each photograph, maintaining harmony while highlighting the uniqueness of each landscape snippet. The interplay between the natural scenery and the stark geometric shapes creates a striking contrast, infusing the work with both organic and abstract qualities. This synthesis of elements engages viewers, encouraging exploration and reflection on the interaction between nature and human intervention.

Archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle smooth canvas. Image size: 25 H x 75 W inches. Edition of 4 + 1AP. Unframed. In recent years -through the use, production, and appropriation of content hosted on the net- The artist has been developing a body of work that aims to resignify narratives from the files. The series "All the faults of the world", 2021/23 are digital prints printed on Hahnemuhle smooth canvas. The Images are taken by Google Street View (GSV) users that cover a 360º viewing angle and are captured to show everything that is around the subject taking the photograph. These images, uploaded to the application (GSV) are geolocated at the precise point where they were taken so that other users can access them. Due to involuntary human errors in the capture, a small percentage of these Images present anomalies because some fragment does not have a record, and a void is produced in the image and an opaque figure without representation. The entry of these anomalies into the system interferes with any attempt to full representation of the world. Motivated by this, the artist as in a game "travels the world" from the app, looking to build my collection of failures from around the world.