The Carbon 12 gallery in Dubai presents Yours or Mine?, a duo show by Mexican artist Edgar Orlaineta and Swiss artist Olaf Breuning, whose works weave a narrative of hybridity and environmental consciousness. On view until 1 November 2023, the exhibition offers visitors to delve into the interconnectedness of the human experience and the natural world.
Edgar Orlaineta studies the relationship between art, craft, and the industrial. With such themes as humour and craftsmanship at the centre of his practice, he challenges the idea of the seriousness of art. For him, craft is a way of approaching and conversing with his surroundings, and craftsmanship is the moment and space where the object forms and gives life to an idea. In his sculptures, the artist reflects on the meditative state crucial to the handmade process.
58.5 x 63 cm | 23 x 24 3/4 in
The message which Olaf Breuning strives to convey through his colourful woodcut paintings displayed in the exhibition is one about the ecological issues we are facing. Depicting different references to nature (clouds, raindrops, fire, trees, etc.), these paintings are created by using wood blocks painted with acrylic paint and then stamped onto canvases. The blocks are made from naturally fallen tree trunks. Having chosen such a material, Breuning references the damaging effects of human activity on the environment. He reminds the viewers of how human actions and the depletion of natural resources are connected and provokes them to reconsider their relationship with the world of nature.
About the artists
Edgar Orlaineta (b. 1972) was born in Mexico City (Mexico), where he still resides. In 1998, he obtained a painting degree from Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” (Mexico City). In 2002, he graduated from Academia de Cine Arte 7 (Mexico City) with a Filmmaking Diploma. In addition, Orlaineta received a MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute (New York, USA) in 2004.
Most of the artist’s works are hybrid sculptural artworks inspired by mid-century modern design, which is characterised by clean, simple lines, delicate biomorphic shapes, and geometric ones. The other sources of his inspiration include pop culture and specific historical moments. In his art, Orlaineta questions the symbolic and economic value of industrial design objects (initially mass-produced products and valuable collectables later). He aims to open these objects to new perspectives by denying their functionality, historical, or cult value.
42.5 x 49 x 10 cm | 16 3/4 x 19 1/4 x 4 in
Orlaineta has showcased his art pieces in many solo and group exhibitions in Mexico and other countries including the USA, Belgium, Italy, Colombia, Czech Republic, Israel, Puerto Rico, Germany, Spain, France, and the UK. His works can be found in collections of Caixa Forum (Barcelona, Spain), CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art (San Francisco, USA), Denver Art Museum (Denver, USA), and Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, USA), to name a few.
Olaf Breuning (b. 1970, Schaffhausen, Switzerland) is a contemporary Swiss artist living and working in New York (USA). Breuning studied photography at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, from which he graduated in 1993. In 199, he received an advanced graduate degree from the same university.
Breuning’s art practice encompasses sculpting, painting, drawing, film, installation, photography, performance, and music. In his humorous artworks, he questions contemporary reality and reflects his observation of human behaviour as well as cultural and political concerns. The themes in which the artist is interested are kitsch, cliché, appropriation, pop culture, and collective visual iconography.
The artist’s creations have been displayed in numerous exhibitions across the globe: in Switzerland, USA, France, UAE, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, and many other countries. The list of private and public collections that feature Breuning’s art includes AROS (Aarhus, Denmark), Bank Julius Bär & Co. AG (Zürich), Collezione La Gaia (Busca, Italy), Musée d’Art Moderne/Centre de Création Industrielle (France), and others.
To get more information about the Yours or Mine? exhibition, please visit its official web page.
You might also be interested in reading about the Utopic Arabia art duo.
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