2025 BEAM / PROYECTOS ULTRAVIOLETA

Installation and opening views, The Spirit of Science Fiction, solo exhibition
Beam and Proyectos Ultravioleta at Primary, Nottingham UK
February 1 – March 29, 2025

The exhibition was supported, in part, by FONDART, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Government of Chile.

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Beam Editions, in collaboration with Proyectos Ultravioleta, is pleased to present The Spirit of Science Fiction, the first solo show by Felipe Mujica (Santiago, Chile, 1974) in the UK, which borrows its title from the novel by Roberto Bolaño (1953-2003) written around 1984 and published posthumously. The exhibition includes woven textiles, prints, artist’s books, and a new body of works on paper titled ‘Te regalaré un abismo’ (I Will Gift You an Abyss) – a title taken from a poem by Bolaño, one of the most significant Latin American literary voices of his generation.

In this series of works, Mujica pursues elements of colour, form, figure and ground which the artist learned in Eduardo Vilches’ colour seminar at the school of art at the Catholic University in Chile during the nineties. The work resonates with the German artist and tutor Joseph Albers’ (1888–1976) highly influential colour theory that was developed in the early 60s, and which continues to be an enduring influence today. With Mujica’s latest body of work the artist has developed a playful experience of colour and forms through 10 doubled sided, hand-painted, gouache paper works. The works are developed within a grid system and series of geometric rules that the artist has explored for nearly 30 years. Each piece is just one of many possible future combinations. The artist’s exploration of the same grid, system and method is a process of re-invention, of recreation, with different rules applied in each series, a game-like approach to creation of the work. A game often implies a certain order, or structure, and is limited to the creative exercise, but in the case of Mujica’s work this ‘game’ is designed to allow a freedom of decision making.

The work is also set in a series of double sided acrylic frames in which the work can be viewed from both sides. Each piece is constructed from two sheets of paper placed on top of one another. A series of geometric forms are cut out of each sheet to reveal the sheet on the reverse. This results in a series of ‘windows’ in the graphic forms, which gives a sense of openness and experimental variation. The work can also be read as an unknown language, a series of symbolic glyphs as well as a visual system. The nature of the works allows them to be switched around throughout the exhibition; to be reconfigured in a game-like manner. This playful quality subverts the oppressive nature of rules, allowing for collective exploration rather than a singular vision of the artist.

Also included in the exhibition is a series of screen prints, ‘Arboles Imaginarios’ (Imaginary Trees), where Mujica has pursued a series of geometric forms using a strict black, red, grey and off white colour palette as a nod to El Lissitzky (1890-1941). The forms are determined by a series of fine lines and contain shapes such as the rhombus, parallelogram, diagonal and rectangle. Each work is geometrically interrelated and echoes the game-like forms of ‘Te regalaré un abismo’. A second series of 12 screen prints, ‘El Condor Pasa’, also on display follows a similarly strict geometric system and range of colours. Both portfolios were printed and published by the SYMETRIA editions.

The hanging textiles pieces or ‘curtain projects’  in the exhibition are from the body of work ‘Join Hand in Hand With All Who Work’. These textile artworks are made with different people, in different contexts and places, using different materials and techniques. These textiles are influenced by the history of geometric abstraction, both western and indigenous, employing the particular textile knowledge of where each piece was developed. The works were developed during a residency at the Industriemuseum in Ghent, Belgium, a town with a significant textiles tradition within the cotton industry. The works were developed with a community focus, where participants were invited to take part in embroidery workshops. While the work follows Mujica’s formal exploration of geometry, each piece reflects on the social and political history of its people and the city. The workshops also presented an opportunity for slowing down and space for mutual care and understanding amongst collaborators.

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Te regalaré un abismo 1-10 [I Will Gift You an Abyss], 2024
Acrylic paint and gouache on Arches 300 gr. watercolor paper
10 units of 2 sheets (61 x 46 cm each) painted on both sides, all works reversible

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