06 Apr 2017

Prosjektrom Normanns: The Fire Theory (El Salvador)

Social contradictions combined with humor are central to the work of Crack Rodriguez and his performative actions, trigging important questions and provoking the public to react, and in some cases to engage. The large-scale installations of Melissa Guevara consists of multiple elements that reference the notion of transformation. Her use of clay, soil and human remains dictate her recurrent interest about the thin line that exists between life and death. Mauricio Kabistan´s work examines the struggle of the often ignored victims of the political and social situation in El Salvador. Kabistan researches historical documents creating archives that expose the ills of contemporary society. Memory is the key element in his work, using it as tool for change. Ernesto Bautista's work is a constant collision between poetry and violence.The notion of the infinite, the ephemeral, the obscure, and his immediate social reality generates an endless source of information and knowledge that he uses successfully in his work. Bautista´s cynical approach allows him to question and reconstruct a different perception and awareness of reality.

Omar Lopez-Chahoud, curator

THE FIRE THEORY

The Fire Theory is a collective by Crack Rodriguez, Melissa Guevara, Mauricio Kabistan and Ernesto Bautista founded in 2010 in San Salvador, El Salvador to provide knowledge and to generate discussion.

'We seek to establish a critical reading of the connections between these worlds. Those links, like the silver threads that make up a dreamcatcher, shine through as symbols that define us, and urge us to think; because in the end we are human beings existing in collective societies. It is imperative to understand these connections in order for our creations to transcend the past, present and future.

Our work as The Fire Theory depends upon the individual and the collective. Influencing, colliding, pushing and rearticulating—like fire to a blade—to identify where the need to create comes from, and to understand the result of our creations. Combining our concerns, our points of view, and our vision we aim to create a space that will allow people the opportunity to think, and maybe, to decide.'

www.thefiretheory.org/

Omar López-Chahoud has been the Artistic Director and Curator of Untitled Art Fair since its founding in 2012. As an independent curator, López-Chahoud has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions in the United States and internationally. He curated the Nicaraguan Biennial in March 2014 and has participated in curatorial panel discussions at Artists' Space, Art in General, MoMA PS1, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. He is currently a member of the Bronx Museum Acquisitions Committee. López-Chahoud earned MFAs from YaleUniversity School of Art, and the Royal Academy of Art in London.