future fair

may 1 - may 4, 2024

chelsea industrial

535 w 28th st, new york, ny

A solo booth featuring new paintings by Joaquín Stacey-Calle from his ongoing series ‘Controlled Decay (Intimacy of Strangers).’ In this series the artist dives deep into the concept of forgetting by exploring the selective acts of omission, confusion, and ignorance in his own creative process. By consciously layering and omitting paint, the works delve into the deliberate choice to overlook and not represent certain aspects of images, questioning what deserves remembrance and what can be discarded. The practice simultaneously examines both the neglected and the highlighted aspects of our recollection, serving as a visual metaphor for the fragility of memory.

Influenced by Eduardo Kohn’s ‘How Forests Think,’ when he writes, “The life of thoughts depends on confusion–a kind of “forgetting” to notice difference.” Joaquín examines how the vitality of thoughts relies on a certain level of confusion, akin to a deliberate forgetting of differences. In this series, the artist also explores hidden histories, particularly of those at the periphery of society, at times in rural settings, and within epistemologies incompatible with normative modernity.

Interestingly enough, this particular body of work originated from a fascination with lichens and moss—described in scientific literature as colonizers or pioneers, yet often completely ignored and unseen. Acting as a metaphorical lichen, the artist seeks to “grow” through paint on the white canvas to depict his exploration of memories.

The paintings also serve as a medium for contemplation, aiming to slow down the thought process and construct a new visual realm capable of encapsulating the artist’s ideas. Embracing ignorance as an essential element, Stacey-Calle utilizes it to provoke questions and nurture curiosity, constantly exploring the role of confusion within our memories.

Finally, the artist reflects on the significance of forgetting while exploring the concepts of intelligence and thought. He finds inspiration in Jorge Luis Borges short story ‘Funes the Memorious.’ Here, Funes, after sustaining a head injury from a fall, gains the ability to remember everything. Initially embracing this as a gift, we ultimately begin to see that it slowly becomes a curse.

homework’s aim is to invite art fair viewers to contemplate how our memories are constructed and live within us, ever-changing through time, highlighting but most importantly omitting certain aspects to fit our own narratives. The gallery aims to install the works within the booth in a way that mirrors the our hazy and not easily compartmentalized recollections.

-curated by homework.