gabriel orozco at tate modern

gabriel orozco at tate moderngabriel orozco ‘carambole with pendulum’, 1996 tate © courtesy of the artist; marian goodman gallery, new york; galerie chantal crousel, paris; kurimanzutto, mexico city photo: carol schadford

gabriel orozco tate modern, london january 19th to april 25th, 2011

the upcoming retrospective of mexican artist gabriel orozco (b. 1962) at the tate modern, london, will be the largest presentation of his work in the UK to date. the exhibition will present more than 80 works by orozco. the range of pieces will provide a survey of his drawing, painting, photographic and sculptural production and experimentation with found objects, both with the natural and man made, which he subtly and playfully alters.

gabriel orozco ‘island within an island’, 1993 courtesy of the artist; marian goodman gallery, new york; galerie chantal crousel, paris: and kurmanzutto, mexico city

the artist’s work is informed by his travels and relationship with the range of places of where he lives, including costa rica, mexico city, new york and paris. this retrospective will be a presentation of how these diverse locations and sources, resulting from an itinerant life, are reflected in the past 25 years of his artistic practice.

gabriel orozco ‘black kites’, 1997 philadelphia museum of art. gift (by exchange) of mr. and mrs. james p. magill, 1997 © courtesy of the artist; marian goodman gallery, new york; galerie chantal crousel, paris; and kurimanzutto, mexico city

included in the exhibition is ‘la DS’, 1993 in which orozco has sliced a classic citroën into thirds, removing the central part to exaggerate its streamlined, aerodynamic design. there is also ‘black kites’, 1997, whereby he has drawn a dense geometric checkerboard pattern upon the surface of a human skull. there will also be a new installation featured which has never been previously exhibit

gabriel orozco ‘la DS’, 1993 fonds national d’art contemporain, puteaux, frances © courtesy of the artist  photo: florian kleinefenn

gabriel orozco ‘sleeping dog’, 1990 © courtesy of the artist; marian goodman gallery, new york; galerie chantal crousel, paris; and kurimanzutto, mexico city

gabriel orozco ‘yielding stone’, 1992 courtesy of the artist and marian goodman gallery

in ‘yielding stone’, 1992, orozco created a plasticine ball measuring the same volume as his own weight, and pushed it through the streets of new york. the sculpture slowly became imprinted by the journey, gathering detritus from the city, its surface become a record or memory of the artist’s movements. using objects found in urban settings or capturing chance encounters, orozco manages to simultaneously encapsulate the pleasure of witnessing life and its frail significance.

gabriel orozco crazy tourist, 1991 courtesy of the artist and marian goodman gallery, new york

gabriel orozco was born in 1962 in jalapa, in vercruz mexico. in 1981, he enrolled at the escuela nacional de arts plásticas (ENAP) and in 1986 left mexico city for madrid. there he enrolled in courses at the círculo de bellas artes, while also travelling around europe. in 1987, he returned to mexico city and formed a workshop with other artists including damián ortega, gabriel kuri, abraham cruzvillegas and dr. lakra (jerónimo lópez ramírez). he spent the 1990s travelling to cities throughout the world an has sence been living and working between new york, mexico and paris.