JOSE DÁVILA
THE SPACE BENEATH US

BASS MUSEUM, COLLINS PARK, MIAMI BEACH, USA
5 DECEMBER – 8 DECEMBER 2012

THE SPACE BENEATH US is a landscape work that interacts with human activity and scale to become part of the daily life of a park. The installation is a spatial take on the geometric structures of the Homage to the Square paintings and prints by Joseph Albers. The project continues experimenting with different media to reinterpret Albers’ pieces, a constant interest shown in Dávila’s body of work. Once more, the artist explores the possibility of reproducing these colored square paintings in a three-dimensional way, as well as subverting painting to sculpture and contemplation to activity.
The work is built with traditional handmade ceramic from Tlaquepaque, Mexico. This choice of material echoes the variety of components such as ceramic tiles, glass, vinyl, and metal; that the artist has implemented in other appropriations of Albers’ color schemes, in some cases situating his practice under the term “Neo-povera”. This work refers to Albers’ work and his influence on Minimalist and site-specific sculpture.
Commissioned by Art Basel Miami Beach.
THE SPACE BENEATH US, 2012
Hand-cut ceramic tiles
800 x 800 x 120 cm

© Images Art Basel
© Courtesy of the artist and Art Public, Art Basel Miami Beach, 2012