Frieze London 2020

With this presentation, we seek to explore the idea of Nature from three different points of view, in order to reveal tensions that are still pronounced around the concepts of modern and primitive.

Don Abel’s drawings – beyond representing the landscape- contain the very spirit of Nature, which is manifested through the relationships between all living beings. For the original peoples of America, the river, the rain and the minerals are living entities, and, like other beings, possess qualities that are communicated by different intangible means. Don Abel does not consider himself as an artist, but as a medium between men and the spirit. His mission is to leave documents that show the presence of the Spirit that unites everything. In this way, the work of Abel Rodriguez dually functions as a work of art and as a sacred object.Contemplation of nature is the origin of historical narratives as well as being the starting point for science. The moment when the observer starts representing nature in their mind, is when contemplation becomes a fundamental need for humans to construct their own knowledge.

Ana Roldán is interested in natural shapes that serve as a source of inspiration to human beings in developing their own forms and designs. In architecture, for instance, forms are often derived from nature. Her process of producing art works could be seen as a rhetorical practice intended to celebrate the wonders of the natural world and the construction of a collective consciousness.

Marlon de Azambuja’s practice is primarily focused on the constant political, social and visual tensions between architecture and nature. Through drawing and sculpture de Azambuja creates an intriguing visual world that reveals the poetic potential within a common (and sometimes forgotten) objects. This group of gestures made on these everyday objects reflect on the idea of rationality in all its beauty and cruelty, exemplifying the eternal dialogue-fight-talk between nature and development.