Eindhoven, April 23 – July 2, 2017, https://pietheineek.nl/en/
Daniel Ruanova is a Mexican artist and his work is based on his experience of living in Tijuana. At least that is what the exhibition statement alludes to. And it is also what one images Tijuana to be. Rough and dangerous, but also southerly colorful and emotional.
Ruanova’s works all feature sharp and long edges. These edges are dynamic, but they are also divisive. They cut through space. The sculptures made from metal profiles seem to refer on one hand to the handicraft tradition and the sweatshop factories, and on the other hand metaphorically to the violent behavior of drug gangs and military.
The canvas paintings introduce bright primary colors. This allude to bright colors used in ‘folk’ art, but also to the rough 8 bit RGB palette employed in early computer graphics. The sharp edges are still there.
Thirdly, the vinyl banners appear as the most ‘folk’ element. They are the most distant from the metal sculptures. They feature comics-like signage referring to “Mexican” topics. The sharp edges are gone. The colors remain, they even become more intensive. Almost like some fashionable Dutch design hipster posters.
There is a whole range of expressions in the show. The colors embrace, while the cool metal edges demand a view from distance. There is a dynamic relationship between these two. There are two sides to everything, and this show unites them in its own special way.
