Jorge Yázpik x Known Work, Sculpted at Materia, Mexico City

The sculptures of the Mexican artist Jorge Yázpik evoke the solemn ritualism of pre-Hispanic artifacts, reinterpreted through a modernist sensibility. In their convergence of the ancient and the modern, Yazpik’s totemic sculptures share an aesthetic legacy of artists such as Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza. For the exhibition Sculpted, which opened during Mexico City’s Art Week, Yázpik created a series of thirty carved wooden pillars that rise out of volcanic stone bases. For Yázpik, form follows the natural idiosyncrasies of the material – some of the sculptures take on brutalist jigsaw-like configurations, while others taper gracefully towards the top in elongated Giacomettian spires. The prismatic aspect of the pieces is crucial as the sculptures catch and diffuse light throughout the day, casting enchanting shadows across the gallery space. Together, the thirty pieces evoke a petrified forest, contemplative and mystical, seemingly guarding an ancient secret. Presented alongside Yázpik’s sculptures are functional design and furniture pieces from New York-based studio Known Work, which merge stark geometries with soft, organic materials. Taken together, the works articulate the porous boundaries between art and design.

On view until February 26th, 2024. 

Materia Studio 

Serapio Rendon 8

Col. San Rafael, 

Cuauhtémoc, 06470 

Mexico City

Text by Anfisa Vrubel

Images by Alejandro Ramirez Orozco and Orlando Vega

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