Vitrine: Galería Perdida: *I want to blush, f***ers*

June 7, 2016

galería perdida, Gladys-Katherina Hernando, joan gallery, joan gallery los angeles, Joan Los Angeles, latin american artists los angeles, nonprofit art gallery los angeles, ornamental combs in art

by: JOAN

October 8–November 20, 2016

gp_comb-sm

Inspired by an unexpected encounter with the display of a French wooden comb from the 15th century at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Galería Perdida will present the project I want to blush, f***ers, a collection of approximately 20 walnut wood hair combs custom mounted onto blush-hued wooden tiles. Galería Perdida deliberately designed each of the combs from techniques that range from graphic design to tradtional style with a number of them abstracted to the point of illegibility.

As an object, the comb is a utilitarian device that functions without notice in daily life. Its various forms and materials of construction rarely associate the object with its historical value, connection to prestige, or cultural affiliation. Combs were one of the first objects discovered by archaeologists in the tombs of ancient Egypt—dating back about 5,000 years—and their production continued largely in China, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and the Philippines. The process of making combs by hand required an intense craftsmanship particularly in the cutting of the teeth. It was not until the 18th century that combs were popularized with the development of fabrication techniques, making combs more ornamental and symbols of luxury and high fashion.

The shift in the accessibility of combs as ornate accessories of aesthetic appearance on the body gave the objects greater exclusivity. Currently, these combs exist as artifacts in the collections of many international museum institutions, displayed and contextualized by museological structures.

Galería Perdida was established in Chilchota, Michoacán in 2005. The collective currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Exhibitions include: And Per Se And, Commonwealth and Council, (2016) and Routine Pleasures, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, (2016); Zelda Zonk, Preface Gallery, Paris, (2013); Somos fabricantes de alimentos en cuero and Todo la memoria del mundo, Casa del Lago Juan José Arreola, Mexico City, (2013); Let’s Smell it Together, CUE Foundation, New York, (2013); El carne de burro no es transparente, Luckman Gallery, Los Angeles, (2012); and Matryoshka, Recess Activities, New York, (2011).

Galería Perdida: I want to blush, f***ers is organized by Gladys-Katherina Hernando