Jose Luis Martinat – Resolutions and Dissolutions

José Luis Martinat (1974, Lima): ‘Resolutions and Dissolutions’
// Resolutions and Dissolutions //
From the 12th September – 16th November 2024

For its first Belgium soIo exhibition, Jose Luis Martinat (1974, Peru) explores two sets of images produced in Europe between the late 15th century and the 18th century (from : Alegoría de America, Jacques Grasset de Saint-Sauveur,  Allegory of America, Nicolaes Berchem…)

The first group consists of some of the earliest graphical representations of the American continent following its “discovery,” with the oldest dating back to 1493. America was frequently portrayed as a semi-nude or nude woman in a wild, paradisiacal setting, surrounded by objects emphasizing its exoticism, savagery, and barbarism: reptiles, exotic fruits, and even human heads and limbs. These images helped make the unknown comprehensible to European audiences. They sharply contrasted with the allegories of Europe from the same period, where a richly dressed, educated woman surrounded by objects of science and knowledge represented the continent. These images not only show how the American continent was portrayed and conceptualized, but they also reflect the cultural and social codes of Europe at that time, as well as the mechanisms that still influence our perception of the “other.”

The second group of images consists of engravings and paintings that arrived in America from Europe beginning in the 16th century. These works provided the foundation for colonial art and were used as tools for evangelization, education, and justification of colonial domination. They were powerful instruments for transmitting European ideas and values in a context where written communication was often ineffective. These images helped establish political, religious, and cultural control over conquered lands.

The images presented in the gallery are cyanotypes created in Lima, Peru. For Martinat, it was symbolically important to use Peruvian sunlight, before being sent back to Europe, ‘returning’ to their place of origin. Each polyptych is composed of the superimposition of six to ten of the previously mentioned images. The piece named after the Quechua word “Kachkaniraqmi” is created as a graphical mantra by writing and repeating it. While Quechua is the most widely spoken indigenous language in South America, ‘Kachkaniraqmi’ is an expression conveying the idea that, despite everything, one continues to exist, ‘One Still Is’.

In an act of appropriation and deconstruction, Martinat seeks to create new images that, in some way, deny their origin and open themselves to new interpretations.

Jose Luis Martinat participated in the Sharjah Biennale and held significant exhibitions at esteemed institutions like the Telefonica Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) in Lima. His works have been showcased at renowned institutions like the Malmö Museum, the Wysing Art Centre in Cambridge, and the Lima Art Museum (MALI)

Furthermore, José Luis Martinat has collaborated on compelling projects alongside his brother José Carlos Martinat and worked with prominent institutions such as the Peréz Art Museum in Miami (PAMM) in 2018, the MoMA in New York in 2017, and the TATE Modern in London in 2013.