Group Exhibitions

Mutualismos

Craft is a constellation of diverse practices that transcend disciplines. From basket weaving or glass blowing, to baking and scientific research, most trades share an intrinsic connection with the physical environment in which they take place. The use of specific materials and tools, or the movements of the body during the process of making are collaborative activities that encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills. These dynamics, however, are not limited to human beings. The land we sow, the plants that feed us, and the animals that provide some of our materials are active partners in the artisanal process, often propelling the maker to engage in a profound dialogue between themselves and the territory they inhabit.

Working in Latin America and the Caribbean, the artists and artisans in this exhibition explore the interdisciplinary collaborations that can emerge from the acts of care inherent to craft. Each of the works in this gallery proposes a path for mutually beneficial interactions—mutualisms—that break the unnecessarily rigid boundaries between art and craft, between the human and the non-human. Some of the works included in the show honor the legacy of teachers from all species who have shaped younger generations of creators, while others speak to how the movement patterns of seeds, the flexibility of straw, or the life cycle of fish can influence our behaviors, histories and makings. Still, others explore the relationship between organic materials and new technologies as a way to propose alternative processes of making and collaborating.

More than a collection of objects, the projects in this exhibition are portals to a meeting place where artists can share knowledge amongst themselves, as well as the rest of us, with the aim of learning—and unlearning—from nature.

Photographs: Sebastián Cruz Roldán. Ambiente Familiar. 2021