Ricardo Brey
(c)photo: M HKA
Papeles de Verrazano (Verrazano’s papers), 1985
Repositioned for the first time since 1985 for Ricardo Brey: Fuel to the Fire, M HKA 2015.
“At first sight, he may appear to be an installation artist. But in fact, the most important reference for him is drawing, and the second most important is sculpture.” – Bart De Baere, 1996
As an artist, Brey constantly explores the boundaries of expressive languages. His drawings are broad reflections on themes such as marking, writing and description. Brey’s entire oeuvre involves the continual shifting of a thought from a definition to its opposite. Although his work is devoted to research and science, it is interpreted as art. His oeuvre focuses on the Other: Brey views his own reality through the eyes of the Other and redraws every page using pastel and Indian ink. Birds, fish, mammals and plants take their place alongside scientific texts in various languages. The paper looks as though it barely stood the test of time, but in reality Brey creates this impression using a process of yellowing and cutouts. Brey manipulates paper until it becomes manuscript, thus rewriting his history on what appears to be an historic medium. The result is quite simply astonishing.
Installation, exhibition New Art from Cuba: José Bedia, Flavio Garciandía, Ricardo Rodríguez Brey, Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, State University of New York / College at Old Westbury, New York (US), 1985
Exhibited again in MHKA , february 5 - May 10 / 2015 . exhibition : Ricardo Brey – Fuel to the fire en Ricardo Brey – Op de bodem van de hemel.
