Daniel Castrejón - Vanishing / Axis

24th February - 24th June, 2023
collages by Daniel Castrejón (2022/2023)
8 collages with magazines paper clippings, bond paper mixed-color 90 & 12 g and letraset (mecanorma) over fabriano paper 90 g. The pieces comes in banack wood frames / acrylic. Prices available in store or on request.

The eight pieces of Vanishing/Axis are essays about light and gravity. The first layers are clippings from the magazine "Arquitectura México", from issues published between 1950-1955. Said cuts are arranged by what is interpreted subjectively as the dialogue generated between the heavyweight (stone or concrete) and the lightweight (empty spaces and/or concentrations of light). The following layers of colored paper in a limited palette and elemental geometric shapes function as instructions for use. They also look to harmonize and homogenize the landscape, as probably the internationalists attempted to do in the mid-20th century. Vanishing/Axis is, as a whole, a whimsical juxtaposition between color and shape to create the sensation of movement and dynamism in space. Many of these spaces, projected with habitability as one of their main features, no longer exist.

Daniel Castrejón (Mexico City, 1979). The main focus in Castrejón's work is on classical geometry. He experiments with its basic shapes and their relationship to surfaces in a limited range of colors. His work dialogue with historical aesthetics, which range from Modernism & Functionalism as an aesthetic (and aesthetics as a means to something) to the Greco-Roman or ancient Mexican cultures. It usually intervenes in working with archival documentation, such as old technology instructions, decrees, and historical letters or academic and specialized publications. Through these principles, his work attempts to create a sense of movement that aims to bring historical moments or particular everyday situations back to life.

Over time he has worked as an art director on different projects for the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in a diverse range of events and museums from this institution, like the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Art, and the International Film Festival (FICUNAM). Within the scope of other cultural institutions and museums, he has also developed projects for Carrillo Gil Art Museum in Mexico City, WIELS Brussels, and the Walker Art Center USA, among others.

Most of his work, however, has been developed within the framework of editorial projects and music, including record labels such as 4AD, Denovali, Ghostly International, EMI, Sony Music, and Thrill Jockey. Musical-instrument brands, including Make Noise Synthesizers, and the global and local campaigns for the international electronic music festival MUTEK (Montreal, Mexico City, Tokyo, Barcelona, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires). In the editorial field, Castrejón has worked with art, film, and travel-specialized publishing houses.

In addition to his visual work, he owns Umor Rex, a record label founded in 2006. The label hosts a wide range of sounds —from eerie electronic atmospheres to avant-garde and other forms of experimental music. Umor Rex has more than 147 registrations so far.