Bodegón

Taking the name from the still-life tradition often associated with Spanish painting, the Bodegón series alludes to the way goods are organized in shops and markets. Formally, the series references ancient metalwork from the North Andean region that was commonly made in parts and then welded together to achieve the effect of inflation and weightlessness. Despite their direct connection to local fruit and staples like arepas and coca seeds, the pyramidal sculptures embody the universal practice of categorically organizing provision.

Monzón-Aguirre translates displacement and ancestral memory into sculpture and other media. Referencing Quimbaya iconography of the Antioquia and Cauca regions of Colombia, Monzón-Aguirre abstracts personal and collective imagery as an act of remembrance and a working through of grief and violence.

– Jeffrey Stark, 2021. Exhibition text by Elena Ketelsen-González