BOSCO SODI
SAPTATATHĀGATA


FUNDACIÓN CASA DE MÉXICO EN ESPAÑA, MADRID, SPAIN
24 FEBRUARY – 14 MAY 2023

Fundación Casa de México en España inaugurates this new space presenting one of the exponents of the contemporary scene who has distinguished himself by updating and giving new meaning to ancestral Mexican practices: Bosco Sodi, who preserves the traditional and ritual use of clay, while its forms exist as universal and archetypal symbols related to the infinite, the earth, or the cosmos, among others.

"Saptatathāgata", an exhibition showing the seven Buddhas of antiquity represented by seven 55 cm diameter clay spheres covered with gold leaf, refers to each of the Buddhas and the state of enlightenment aspired to in the Buddhist tradition.

In this sense, Sodi's work represents a balance of various dichotomies: the conceptual and the formal, the local and the universal, the spiritual and the earthly, the concrete and the abstract.

Sodi's artistic practice, both pictorial and sculptural, is based on the expression of materials, as well as its cultural, symbolic, and historical charges. His sculptures consist of clay pieces baked in his studio in Oaxaca, following regional techniques, which are adapted for the production of large-format works, molded manually, and dried outdoors. The resulting pieces are unique legacies of the interaction between raw material and environment, bearing the marks not only of the artist but also of the natural components themselves.
Sodi draws inspiration from a variety of cultural and artistic expressions; on the importance of clay for ancient American civilizations, the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi, which values imperfection, as well as more recent moments in the history of art, such as Arte Povera in Italy, or Gutay and Mono-ha in Japan; manifestations that expand the definition of art and its exhibition spaces, while taking advantage of the unpredictability and beauty of nature beyond the white cube.

© Fundación Casa de México en España
© Images Andrés Valentín Gamazo

FEATURED ARTIST

BOSCO SODI
Bosco Sodi (b. 1970 in Mexico City, Mexico) lives and works in New York City, USA, and Oaxaca, Mexico.

He is known for his richly textured, vividly colored large-scale paintings. Sodi has discovered an emotive power within the essential crudeness of the materials that he uses to execute his paintings. Focusing on material exploration, creative gesture, and the spiritual connection between the artist and his work, Sodi seeks to transcend conceptual barriers. “Explanations about my work represent the biggest obstacle to its experience: words become hollow and obsolete. The intention of my work is to be observed and experienced.”, Bosco ...
Read more