VikMuniz

Vik Muniz: Scraps at Sikkema Malloy Jenkins, New York, USA, February 17 – April 9, 2022

Vik Muniz’s practice considers the relationship between image production and art object, and how the distance between the two can be mediated in unexpected and innovative ways. Working in series, he begins with one method or medium that is then applied amongst a range of imagery and themes. He often utilizes unorthodox or found materials to recreate the likeness of iconic works from the art historical canon, or other culturally-prescient imagery. This reproduction introduces a space of ambiguity for the viewer, in which they both recognize the presence of the original art work and conjure the memory of its viewing, as they negotiate the encounter of a newly formed image mediated by different mediums and material interpretations.

Muniz’s newest body of work, entitled Scraps, developed from the use of textures in his previous Surfaces series and his interest in mosaic compositions. He begins his collage process by sourcing painted elements from his studio and assembling them into an abstracted mosaic, which is then photographed, printed, and cut up; the cut pieces are arranged and layered to form the new, final photographic image. The physical element of painting is thus subtracted from resulting art object, but is evoked visually through the cut prints. These multiple levels of dimensionality effect a dynamic sense of composition, and a sublime tension between part and whole.

Scraps draws on the experience of memory, and fragmentation of visual perception: of both piecing and uncovering a fundamental image from constituent parts. Many of the works in Scraps engage with current and historical political, environmental, and social issues, along with more personal photographs connected to Muniz’s practice. They are recurring scenes for the artist, appearing in what he calls a visual archaeology; the floral life from his neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, a room filled with the works of Kazimir Malevich, and the infamous sight of the bombed Oklahoma City capitol are among the numerous scenes that persist in his mind, beyond material presence. Forming these intricate and closely-felt pictures layer by layer, they reflect the interconnected channels of perception and imagination that shape our relationship to images and the world they represent.