Erosion of a Psalm Mobile 2

Erosion of a Psalm

Andy Medina
Riley Strom
Jesus Morales

Pasaje Catedral 5to Piso
Centro Historico, Ciudad de Mexico

07.18.24 – 07.31.24

*

The process of erosion is gradual – material is dissolved and dispersed – carried by the currents of water or wind. In this sense, erosion is a kind of diffusion – a spreading sensation that counters the rigidity of that which seems set in stone. Erosion of a Psalm brings together the artworks of three artists investigating themes of empire, becoming, and collapse.

The exhibition centers around Andy Medina’s video Genesis 11, installed to play on a rear projection television. The piece is a Mixe translation of the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, overlaid with promotional footage of the World Trade Center from the 1960’s. With it, Medina asks us to consider the ways in which the West, in the name of religion, has eroded and transformed colonized lands.

Riley Strom’s paintings occupy the walls. They are diaphanous and vibrating with light. The vellum on which she paints is luminous and hovering. Her works Fanta and Soft Map evoke evaporated spills of pigment in hazy purples and sharp reds reminiscent of decomposing organic matter. The effect is holographic – like a piece of fragmented glass – they waiver between solid and liquid states.

The organic quality of Strom’s paintings is echoed in the two crumpled fig leaves that sit atop the floor like a pair of shoes. The words “hardship*” and “penalty*” are pasted with adhesive helvetica lettering. The artist, Jesus Morales, plucked the leaves from the fig tree in his office in what he terms, a “modern gothic” gesture. On the south wall, JCDecaux (I want for my sons to produce nothing), a digital print atop Balenciaga bags depicts a young boy holding a paintbrush in the glow of a ring light. The piece materializes anxieties around identity and becoming in a climate of commodity fetishism and aspirational desire. With the leaves and the print, Morales transforms the detritus of contemporary consumer culture into objects that vibrate with the soft yearnings of aspiration.

Over time, through processes of erosion, landscapes transform. Valleys are filled, land splits and towers collapse but this process is not simply negative – through subtraction, erosion presents an opportunity for reconstitution.

Andy Medina (b.1993) is a visual artist based in Oaxaca City. He received his BFA from “La Esmeralda” in 2016. His work has been exhibited widely throughout Mexico including at MOCA (Oaxaca), Museo Universitario del Chopo (CDMX), and Estrella Gallery (NYC). In addition to his personal practice, Medina is an integrant the collective Yoppe Projects and runs T.R.I.N.I.D.A.D., a project space in Oaxaca.

Riley Strom (b.1991) currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence in 2013 where she studied painting and philosophy. She received her MFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 2020. Her work has been shown at LAGOS (CDMX), Fisher Parrish (NYC), and Temple Contemporary (PA).

Jesus Morales (b.1998) is a Venezuelan-American artist based in New York. He received his BFA from the Cooper Union in 2020. His work has been shown at Shower (South Korea) and Meantime Co. (NYC).

Room 1
Installation view

Riley Strom
Soft Map, 2023
Oil and dry pigment on vellum
183 x 90 cm

Riley Strom
Fanta, 2023
Oil and dry pigment on vellum
90 x 60 cm

Room 1
Installation view

Jesus Morales
Penalty Leaf, 2024
Fig leaf, colored pencil, Helvetica self-adhesive letters
36 x 19 x 2 cm

Jesus Morales
Hardship Leaf, 2024
Fig leaf, colored pencil, Helvetica self-adhesive letters
36 x 22 x 2

Room 2
Installation view

Jesus Morales
The Newborn, 2024
Fig leaf, popsocket

Andy Medina
Genesis 11, 2018
Video

Jesus Morales
JCDecaux Hernández (I want for my sons to produce nothing), 2024
Xerox print on Balenciaga shopping bags, packing tape, aluminum frame
104.5 x 82 x 4 cm