Iván Argote
'The Burden of the Invisible '
In The Burden of the Invisible, multidisciplinary artist Iván Argote presents critical yet playful works that challenge collective memories and the narrow, dominant histories commonly presented in public spaces. Through sculpture, film, painting, and photography, the artist reimagines historical monuments in Savannah and around the world, reflecting on their purpose and proposing alternate realities. Argote’s new installation Señores creates an uncanny scene, grouping archetypal statues in states of decay and overgrown with various plants. His film Levitate and recent series of concrete paintings also contend with monuments’ supposed permanence and their militaristic iconography, revealing how notions of power and domination are present within our history and daily lives. By representing real sites of commemoration, albeit fictitiously and satirically, Argote advocates for decentralized, constantly evolving public spaces that acknowledge other narratives.
In The Burden of the Invisible, multidisciplinary artist Iván Argote presents critical yet playful works that challenge collective memories and the narrow, dominant histories commonly presented in public spaces. Through sculpture, film, painting, and photography, the artist reimagines historical monuments in Savannah and around the world, reflecting on their purpose and proposing alternate realities. Argote’s new installation Señores creates an uncanny scene, grouping archetypal statues in states of decay and overgrown with various plants. His film Levitate and recent series of concrete paintings also contend with monuments’ supposed permanence and their militaristic iconography, revealing how notions of power and domination are present within our history and daily lives. By representing real sites of commemoration, albeit fictitiously and satirically, Argote advocates for decentralized, constantly evolving public spaces that acknowledge other narratives.
About the artist
Iván Argote (b. 1983, Bogotá, Colombia; lives and works in Paris) studied graphic design, photography, and new media at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá and holds an M.F.A. from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA) in Paris. Recent solo exhibitions include Prémonitions at Perrotin, Paris; Aliens en Madrid at Albarrán Bourdais, Madrid; Chaflierplatz at Dortmunder Kunstverein, Germany; A Place for Us at Perrotin, New York; and All Here Together at Artpace, San Antonio, Tex., among others. Works by the artist are held in the permanent collections of numerous prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Arizona State University Art Museum, Phoenix; Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Miami; Colección de Arte del Banco de la República, Bogotá; Kadist, San Francisco; and Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA).
Install Views
Programs and events
SCAD deFINE ART artist talk: Iván Argote
Join artist Iván Argote and SCAD Museum of Art assistant curator Haley Clouser as they discuss his new exhibition The Burden of the Invisible, presented as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2024.
Credits
The Burden of the Invisible is organized by SCAD Museum of Art assistant curator Haley Clouser and curator Ben Tollefson, and presented as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2024.
