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. This installation shows the power of a book by distorting. Your eye moves along the wall, noticing a slight convex wave in the center. Jan 22, 2020 jorge mendez blake the castle, 2007, bricks, edition of franz kafkas the castle detail, 2300 x 1750 x 400 cm. 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. He manipulates classic literature by drawing it into. My approach to books and language is more as a reader than as a critic. Books and buckling brick walls by jorge mendez blake azucar. Artist jorge mendez blake transforms literature into sculpture with his latest piece of installation art, the castle.
Jorge mendez blake complete poems for sale artspace. Installation reveals the metaphoric power of a single book. Award winners book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new releases. Jorge mendez blake watch the tremendous impact one book can have.
Jorge mendez blake s artworks oscillate between reality and fiction with the purpose of expanding different areas of knowledge. 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 is a mixedmedia, conceptual artist from guadalajara, mexico, whose work revolves around books, libraries and literature. Trained as an architect, the artist builds walls and connects their history to literature. This installation shows the power of a book by distorting the.
Other literature blake, jorge, demeuse, sarah, gerber, veronica, fabre, luis on. The wall spans almost the entire width of the library, stopping only 80 cm before reaching either side of the building. The exhibition is organized by annex m focusing on booksreaderswriters to take place during athens 2018 world book capital. Jorge mendez blake watch the tremendous impact one book. More information find this pin and more on awesome art by thuy pham. So, the book is like an intermediary between the content and the world. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake makes a brilliant statement about the impact a single act can have. Finally, jorge mendez blake incorporates a third method of measuring into this body of work. 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. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake presented his threedimensional installation called the castle that portrays the impact of a single book to a society. Jorge mendez blake watch the tremendous impact one book can.
Dear future human condition no time for me mixed media collage artists sculpture collages sculptures. The work of mendez blake takes references from diverse cultural environments with the attempt to create previously nonexisting connections between literature and architecture. Mexican mixed media artist jorge mendez blake transforms literature into sculpture with his latest piece of installation art, titled the castle. If its physical presence can leave such an impact, imagine what the content would do for you.
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. Guadalajara, mexico, 1974 lives and works in guadalajara, mexico. Jorge mendez blake the impact of a book, 2007 the llery. Upon closer inspection you see that the cause is not what you might think, a tool perhaps, but a book. Proofread football super agent jorge mendes is widely regarded as the most.
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. 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. 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. Mendez blakes 2007 work the castle is inspired by franz kafkas novel of the same title is among his most imposing. It featured a brick wall, resting on franz kafkas book the castle. Mar 10, 2016 jorge mendez blake is a mixedmedia, conceptual artist from guadalajara, mexico, whose work revolves around books, libraries and literature. October 2005 january 2006, art central, guadalajara mexico 2004. Jorge mendez blake born 1974 is a mexican mixedmedia conceptual artist. 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. 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 book chronicles the experiences of a young man who emigrates from europe to new york.
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. Balancing the entire brick wall, the book creates a bulge and curve in the centre of the 75 x foot structure. I think i tend toward the quotation, rather than toward the creation of new writing, he says. This wall was erected by jorge mendez blake, a mexican artist. This volume explores the theme in works by leading mexican artist jorge mendez blake. Condos and apartments around the nation opt for a novel. Dec 20, 2019 jorge mendes book the key to mendes and 7 surprising revelations in it. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake shows that brick walls meant to suppress you are no match for the knowledge within a single book.
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. At james cohan gallery, jorge mendez blake builds a wall. 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. Jorge mendez blake is a mexican born artist that draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental. Text by sarah demeuse, veronica gerber, luis felipe fabre, et al. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. 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.
Jorge mendez blake talks to ana elena mallet, artist talk. My modern met mexican artist jorge mendez blake shows. Jorge mendez blake works with books and the idea of books, connecting literature to the visual arts through assemblage, drawings, interventions, videos, and paintings. 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. I like reading literary criticism, but im working from the side of art, and art should propose different ways of understanding literature, not. Jorge mendes book the key to mendes and 7 surprising. But it also asks us to locate and raze the abstract walls of nationalism and xenophobia we have constructed within our collective, american consciousness. Jorge mendez blake draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental interventions. A single book disrupts the foundation of a brick wall by.
Condos and apartments around the nation opt for a novel amenity. Edition of 10 jorge mendez blake, study for a marx library 1, 2009, acrylic on wall, 59 x 46 34 in. One of the best symbols of the books power is an impressive art installation created by a mexican mixedmedia artist jorge mendez blake. Jorge mendez blake, the art of loving, 2009, 10 bricks and book, 24 x 8 x 4 in. The internet is obsessed with this viral art installation by jorge mendez blake that shows the true power of a book. Jorge mendez blake complete poems 2015 available for. Rms new other literature series highlights the importance of libraries as structures of knowledge and as architectural entities. At the james cohan gallery in new york, he exhibited a wall entitled amerika, based on a.
One book disrupts the foundation of an entire brick wall by. 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. The mortarless wall bulges at the site of the inserted text, creating an arch that extends to the top of the precarious structure. I kneel to inspect the spine of the book from the front. 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. Sharoffs use of lus contemplation on the great wall also foreshadows jorge mendez blake s capitulo xxxviii.
Jorge mendez blake is a mexican born artist that draws connections between literature and the visual arts through assemblage, drawing, and environmental interventions. 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. Mexican artist jorge mendez blake created the castle in 2007. A single book disrupts the foundation of a brick wall by jorge. Blakes work presents a single book at the bottom of the structure that manages to curve an entire 75footlong wall. Jan 08, 2019 at james cohan gallery, jorge mendez blake builds a wall. Rms new other literature series highlights the importance of libraries. The bend in the walls line produced by the book, separates the bricks enough so that it is the. Born in 1974, in guadalajara, mexico lives and works in guadalajara, mexico. 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. An architect by profession, mendez blake has evolved a conceptual language, both reductive and metaphorical, that translates literary texts into images, sculptures and installations.
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. 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. Jorge mendez blake melds literature and his love of architecture into large sculptures. The impact of a book by jorge mendez blake the creative post. Get free ebooks the impact of a book by jorge mendez. Jorge mendez blake art monographs and museum exhibition catalogs. Jorge mendez blake human condition, no time for me, dear. Implications of image show, sinaloa museum of art mexico 200506.
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. This viral art installation illustrates the power of a book. Oct 23, 2017 the impact of a book by jorge mendez blake. Rather than the stories contained in literature, blake is deeply inspired by the atmosphere, sensations and thoughts resulting from reading a book. 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. The castle is a 2007 project by mexican artist jorge mendez blake that subtly examines the impact of a single outside force. Metaphorical installation art balances an entire brick wall on a book. Brick wall deformed by a single book great installation. He translates texts into plastic art, physically rendering the thematic intricacies and dazzling plotlines of.
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