VIEWING ROOM

ARCOmadrid 2024

06/03/2024 - 10/03/2024

For ARCOmadrid 2024, Galeria Leme presents works by Peruvian artists, Sandra Gamarra and José Carlos Martinat, creating a dialogue of history, artefact and memory. Gamarra, representative for the Spanish Pavilion at the LX Venice Biennale, presents two glass cabinets which attest to the contradicting position of anthropology museums in freezing and flattening colonial narratives. Meanwhile, Martinat places these elements into contemporary contexts, allowing them to be ressignified and re-presented into the Art world, outside of glass boxes and stiffened exhibition rooms.

Sandra Gamarra unveils a thought-provoking critique of the Anthropology Museum as a repository of cultural knowledge. Through her artwork, she transforms seemingly empty display cabinets into canvases, intricately painting images of pre-Columbian and pre-Incan archaeological pieces onto the glass vitrines. Gamarra challenges the normalization of these cabinets as sites for symbolic and historical artifacts, highlighting the disconnection between the objects and their original contexts. By translating three-dimensional artifacts into a two-dimensional painted language, she emphasizes the power of casing to flatten and silence the historical narratives within. The mirrored undersides of the cabinets further engage the viewer, inviting introspection on the history of plundering and colonization, where the act of seeing oneself is a subtle yet powerful gesture of reclaiming agency within this narrative.

In a departure from his previous works, José Carlos Martinat’s recent exploration into ethnomedicine during the pandemic results in a captivating series of pieces. Inspired by the material elements of curanderia, Martinat incorporates rocks and minerals used in traditional folk medicine into his paintings. The minerals, believed to heal, protect, and prevent evil, become a unique filter of energy and light within his works. Martinat introduces a semi-transparent screen that not only allows wind to travel through, acting as a purifying element, but also draws inspiration from pre-Columbian shawls with magical and protective properties. In seamlessly blending traditional practices with contemporary art, Martinat’s pieces become both protective adornments and symbols of cultural resistance, creating a dialogue between ancient traditions and the modern context.

Gamarra and Martinat’s works at ARCO Madrid 2024 intricately challenge colonial narratives. Gamarra transforms museum cabinets into canvases, exposing the disconnection between objects and context, while Martinat seamlessly blends traditional elements with contemporary art. Both artists reclaim Peruvian history, inviting reflection on cultural heritage’s global significance. Together, they create a dynamic dialogue between past and present.

Expositor I, II, 2021

Expositor I, II, 2021

Sandra Gamarra

Sandra Gamarra
Showcase, mirror, wooden base, oil painting on mirrored paint on glass
210 x 163 x 96 cm
Photo: Oak Taylor Smith
Expositor III, IV,2021

Expositor III, IV,2021

Sandra Gamarra

Sandra Gamarra
Showcase, mirror, wooden base, oil painting on mirrored paint on glass
210 x 163 x 96 cm
Photo: Oak Taylor Smith
Mercancia II (Museo), 2018

Mercancia II (Museo), 2018

Sandra Gamarra

Sandra Gamarra
Oil on canvas
80 x 120 cm
Photo: OAK Taylor Smith
El mundo al revés VIII, 2023

El mundo al revés VIII, 2023

Sandra Gamarra

Sandra Gamarra
Black iron oxide and oil on canvas
100 x 120 cm
Sold
El mundo al revés IX, 2023

El mundo al revés IX, 2023

Sandra Gamarra

Sandra Gamarra
Black iron oxide and oil on canvas
120 x 120 cm
Recurso, 2022

Recurso, 2022

Sandra Gamarra

Sandra Gamarra
Iron oxide on canvas
130 x 160 cm
Purificador #1, 2024

Purificador #1, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Cotton gauze, tulle, cochineal,
spirulina, turmeric, Indigofera tinctoria, bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #2, 2024

Purificador #2, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Cotton gauze, tulle, cochineal,
spirulina, turmeric, Indigofera tinctoria, bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #3, 2024

Purificador #3, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Cotton gauze, tulle, cochineal,
spirulina, turmeric, Indigofera tinctoria, bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #4, 2024

Purificador #4, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Cotton gauze, tulle, cochineal,
spirulina, turmeric, Indigofera tinctoria, bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #5, 2024

Purificador #5, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Tulle and gauze tinted with ayahuasca,
dragon's blood, quartz, minerals
used by healers, and bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #6, 2024

Purificador #6, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Tulle and gauze tinted with ayahuasca,
dragon's blood, quartz, minerals
used by healers, and bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #7, 2024

Purificador #7, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Tulle and gauze tinted with ayahuasca,
dragon's blood, quartz, minerals
used by healers, and bronze
180 x 114 cm
Purificador #8, 2024

Purificador #8, 2024

José Carlos Martinat

José Carlos Martinat
Tulle and gauze tinted with ayahuasca,
dragon's blood, quartz, minerals
used by healers, and bronze
180 x 114 cm