Jorge Méndez Blake
Isla Negra´s Treasure
23 June – 28 August 2005
Sala de Arte Publico Siqueiros (SAPS)
Tres Picos #29, Polanco
11560, Mexico D.F.
(52 55) 5531 3398 / 5531 3398
Jorge Méndez Blake (Guadalajara, 1974. Lives and works in Guadalajara) is a visual artist who uses literature as a conceptual tool. His oeuvre explores the possible connections between classic literature, art and culture, fusing a complex mixture of historical and geographical elements, therefore aiming to institute new reflections on cultural manifestations and the relations between them. Méndez Blakes work focuses on relation and possibility, moving away from the static or fixed meaning of art towards an openness that embraces the complexity of contemporary culture.
Isla Negra´s Treasure is a hybrid project derived from two literary works: Canto General by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda published in 1950, and Treasure Island the nineteenth century English classic by R.L. Stevenson published in 1883. This project brings together two very different geographical contexts, as well as historical and cultural situations apparently distinct from one other. It is based upon Méndez Blake´s visit to Isla Negra, a fishermen´s town on the coast of Chile, and the documentation of a series of actions where the artist establishes a tie between Neruda and Treasure Island. These visual and audio documents will be on display at El Cubo in Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros until August 28th, 2005.
