Frieze London 2018

Physical Structures, closely examines photographs from Primeval Forms (2011), which is a series of fourteen photographs taken in the Ethno-Botanical Garden of Oa- xaca. They depict autochthons and prehistoric Mexican plants. Ana Roldán is interested in archetypal forms of nature that serve as inspiration to hu- man beings in developing their own forms and designs. In architecture, for instance, forms are often derived from nature. As in nature, architecture must grapple with ba- sic forces of physics, such as gravity, tension, balance and, for this reason, architectu- ral solutions often keep nature’s constructions in mind. Physical Structures is a sculptural continuation of Primeval Forms, in which Roldán trys to shed light on similarities between designs found in nature and human-made design. In Physical Structures, she translates her own photographs of botanical sha- pes into experiments where physical forces and states are replicated and explored through sculpture, thereby introducing elements of unpredictable outcome. The pie- ces shown here are part of a larger series of fourteen sculptures, which will be shown internationally in the upcoming year. Because her approach in Physical Structures evokes principles found in physics and nature, the execution of the idea into a material form makes visible the ephemeral nature of a physical state. In the complete series, Roldán uses materials ranging from bamboo to mirrors and from glass to leather, which represent a vast array of natural and artificial materials. This begs the question of where (and if) the border between natural and artificial ma- terials can and should be drawn.