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Arturo Kameya
En esa pulga se mezcla nuestra sangre. / In that flea, our blood mixes.
December 10, 2021 – January 15, 2022
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Arturo Kameya's work examines the plasticity of history, revisiting events and narratives through perspectives that are at times contradictory, and through the lens of the personal memories of his upbringing in Lima, Peru. The works in the exhibition reflect upon the ever-fluctuating margins within Lima's urban middle class community: its aspirations and disappointments, debts and misfortunes, religions and superstitions, farewells and resignations. The title of the exhibition is inspired by the poem The Flea by the 17th century poet John Donne which reads:
It sucked me at first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be
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The exhibition includes works that depict memories of the artist’s childhood home that are recreated with superstitious undercurrents, taking inspiration from diverse sources of his personal archive: family photos, press images, e-commerce sites and more. Various paintings include domestic rituals that feature a Youtube tutorial of a cleansing practice, a tabletop set-up to assist the dead in “crossing over," and reinterpretations of his family’s furniture topped with offerings of alcohol, souvenirs, medicine and flowers.
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Kameya debuts three paintings in a new series that explore local commercial products borne out of various superstitions. The products chosen for the works are based on cleansing formulas, available in small shops or online, and the images depicted are reinterpretations of Tarot iconography and cleansing bottle labels. Three works from this series are on view as a nod to the popular phrase Salud, dinero y amor.
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Arturo KameyaDejame el cheque / Leave me the check, 2021Acrylic and clay powder on canvas90 x 65 cm | 35 3/8 x 25 5/8 inSold
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Arturo KameyaEspanta muertos / Dead frightening, 2021Acrylic and clay powder on canvas90 x 65 cm | 35 3/8 x 25 5/8 inSold
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Arturo KameyaVen a mí / Come to me, 2021Acrylic and clay powder on canvas90 x 65 cm | 35 3/8 x 25 5/8 inSold
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The varied motifs explored in the exhibition are encapsulated in the work Fleas dream of buying themselves a dog, but dogs just want to go to outer space (2021). The painting depicts a New Year’s lore, in which people set fire to their old belongings to bid farewell to the year that has just passed. The title refers to aspirational desires that differ in each stage of life, that die little by little throughout each year, only to be revived at the beginning of every new year.
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For enquiries regarding the featured works or for more information,
please email enquiry@grimmgallery.com
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About the artist
Arturo Kameya (b. 1984 in Lima, PE) lives and works in Amsterdam (NL). Kameya attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima (PE) from 2002 - 2008 and is currently a resident at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam (NL). In 2012 Kameya was awarded second place at the ICPNA National Photography Show in Lima (PE). Kameya's work will be presented at the New Museum Triennial in New York, NY (US) in October 2021. Solo exhibitons include, Arturo Kameya, GRIMM, New York, NY (US) [forthcoming]; Drylands, Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht (NL); No one knows the world, Art | Basel Miami Positions (online), GRIMM Amsterdam (NL); Grandma’s Cooking Recipes, GRIMM, Amsterdam (NL); Depósito de Sombras, Alliance Française, Lima (PE); Allá en el Caserío, Acá en el Matorral (with Claudia Martínez Garay) Ginsberg Galeria, Lima (PE); Ghosts Don’t Care if You Believe in Them, Hotel Maria Kapel, Hoorn (NL) ; Ghost Stories, Alliance Française, Lima (PE); Ciencia Ficción, Wu Gallery, Lima (PE); Land at the End of the Sea (with Claudia Martínez Garay), Galería del Centro Cultural Británico de San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima (PE). Group exhibitions include OPEN, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam (NL); Rivers Flow Out of My Eyes, curated by Madelon van Schie, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam (NL); and Sharjah Film Program, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah (AE); Percepciones Contemporáneas, C.C. Ccori Wasi, Lima (PE); Temporal Analogies, Wu Gallery, Lima (PE); Passport for an Artist Competition, organized by the French Embassy of Peru and The Alliance Française, Lima (PE), among others.
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Explore
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Who can afford to feed more ghosts
Arturo Kameya December 8, 2021 Design: Lorenza Brancadoro Texts: Arturo Kameya, Madelon van Shie Editors: Lorenza Brancadoro, Sebastiaan Brandsen, Jorien de Vries, Michael Plunkett and Margot Samel Printed: robstolk® Amsterdam -
Rosalind Nashashibi
Darkness and Rest 10 December 2021 - 15 January 2022 -
Matthias Weischer
Spiegels 4 November 2021 - 8 January 2022
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