Closing the 2015 exhibition cycle, KaBe Contemporary is pleased to present a tandem show with two of our most prestigious artists, José Antonio Hernandez-Diez, “Monumento 2018” and Jorge Pedro Nuñez, “Ocean View (2018-2020)”.

This exhibition orbits around the key term “combination,” not only because it combines the work of two Venezuelan artists who live in Europe, but also and above all, because of the strategies and creative approaches both of them take, with uniqueness in the conceptualization and execution of their artwork. The object loses its status and original function without entirely losing its identity. Combining the objects via recomposition, transformation, and transfiguration, the piece acquires a new objectivity that could only have been visualized previously by the artist. In this sense, we become witnesses of the ingenuity behind the pieces; we are invited to delight in their brilliance, but not to partake in their creation.

José Antonio Hernandez-Diez

Born in Caracas, Venezuela 1964, currently lives in Barcelona, Spain A lot has been and will be said about Hernandez-Diez’s work. Since the 90’s he has been one of the most prominent Venezuelan artists in the international scene. With a body of work where satire is always on the orders of a social realism stained by a pop expression. Hernandez-Diez has explored many mediums, choosing the one most appropriate for each piece. Skateboards made out of bacon, giant acrylic nails, photographic compositions where shoes spell names of great thinkers are only a few samples of his radical proposal. Some of his most remarkable shows include: 1990 III Bienal de Video Arte; 1994 Cocido y crudo. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain; 2003 La struttura della sopravvivenza / The Structure of Survival" . 51a Bienal de Venecia, Italy 2003 “José Antonio Hernandez-Diez”, New Museum, New York, NY, Curated by: Dan Cameron, Gerardo Mosquera.

Jorge Pedro Nuñez

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1976. He currently lives and works in Paris. His work intends to perform short circuits between “high culture” and “popular culture.” While focusing on the revision of the history of geometric abstraction, he reflects on historical and modern forms by superimposing historical references from very different backgrounds. He is interested in themes inherent to art, such as the status of the artwork and the status of its creator, or the production and reception of artworks in a specific context. In this revision of the history of geometric abstraction in modernity, the reflection upon and the production of his pieces undergo distortions in their reinterpretation (with humor and irony) using existing objects and inexpensive production materials. Thus, they generate tensions between a certain memory and a novel proposal, creating a resonance in a new context. Some of his most relevant exhibitions include: 2014- Spatial Acts, Americas Society Visual Arts, New York 2011:“Untitled (Passport) – 12th Istanbul Biennial”, Istanbul Biennial, Istambul, Turkey. 2010: “Dynasty “, Palais de Tokyo / Musee d’Art Modernede la ville de Paris, Paris, France.