Selected Exhibitions at Art Basel Miami 2019
Teresa Margolles’ Estorbo (Obstruction) at Galerie Peter Kilchmann
With so many things to choose from, how does one begin to review the works on display at Art Basel Miami? The exhibition space is well-laid out but a labyrinth; the booths each competing for the attention of the hordes of collectors and art enthusiasts filing past.
Selfie-takers and photographers jockeyed to find the optimum works and angles for internet points.
The works in this series of blog posts (selfie-free) are ones that I found particularly compelling. I certainly didn’t see everything at the show, but the following (first of multiple posts) are worth a look.
Teresa Margolles’ Estorbo (Obstruction) at Galerie Peter Kilchmann
Galerie Peter Kilchmann made the bold choice of showing a large process-driven body of work by Teresa Margolles, with the aim of finding an institutional collector. Nonetheless they were welcoming of all visitors and happy to explain the work and the process behind it to me.
90 concrete blocks litter the floor, each one with initials stamped on its faces and a t-shirt encased inside.
On the wall, large crisp oversized photographs hung unframed.
There is a photograph for each block, although only two were displayed. And each image represents a Venezuelan migrant worker. Each has a corresponding block with their shirt and initials.
An explanation of the process of the work in the gallery’s own words…
I appreciate how this work by Margolles brings attention to the migrant crisis in areas other than the southern border of the United States. The movement of individuals to places of stability is as old as humanity – yet it can be easy to forget this fact in the face of nationalism and politics.
Art based in politics and world events continue to fascinate and engage me as they give an added layer of importance, meaning and education to any work.