Berenice Olmedo
Alotropía
Year: 2020
Material: Polyurethane molds drilled in Rodin 4D
Dimensions: 26 x 12 cm
Edition: Unique
Price: sold
The central theme of the work of Mexican artist Berenice Olmedo is the critique of the idea that there is a "natural" way of being human and that everything that does not conform to this norm must be adapted or replaced because otherwise it is considered inferior. Through her work, she makes clear how both our bodies are physically and symbolically shaped by culturally constructed categories, as well as our ways of thinking and categorizing.
Alotropía is an objet-trouvé from orthopedic technology. The polyurethane object was originally modeled as a replica of a femoral stump for the custom fabrication of a prosthetic leg. Olmedo's work ascribes meaning to the stump, thus honoring it as a leg form in its own right.
text: Anna Goetz, Autorin, Kuratorin Marta Herford
Berenice Olmedo (b. 1987 in Oaxaca, MEX, lives and works in Mexico City) is currently receiving a lot of international attention for her sculptural work. In 2022, she hosted a solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Basel and has been part of exhibitions at Boros Collection, Berlin (2022); Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main (2021) and Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Lithuania (2021), among others. Her work was also featured this year in the exhibition Wet Resistance at Kunstverein.