Submergings: A Drawing Approach to Masculinities

The Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) in Los Angeles presents the exhibition entitled Submerging: A Drawing Approach to Masculinities, by Johanna Calle. The show centers on four groups of works by the Colombian artist: Las Restas (The Subtractions, 2008), Imponderables (2009-2011), Submergente / Sumergir el Período (Submerging / Submerge the Period 2010-2011), and Afasia / Afasia (2011). The last three series had never been exhibited before. Calle includes a non-narrative, subtle, critical and analytical approach to social and cultural issues in Colombia, specifically those pertaining to women and children, social structures, ecology, urbanism, and language. Made with galvanized mesh, Submergentes examines the ways in which unemployment and the erosion of economic power affect men and, consequently, family relations in Colombia. About this Calles writes: "I intend to produce a number of drawings that will show change in masculine behavior as certain traditionally accepted gender roles are altered." Although this body of works is based on research from developing countries, the economic crisis is affecting the masculinities all over the globe, including the US. The work Imponderables, also addresses economic issues but approaches these from a different perspective. The drawings refer to the structure of old accounting books, where the columns maintain a constant tension. They are compressed, deformed and broken. The 2008 series Las Restas stems from the math exercises in school books and alludes to the mathematical operation of subtraction. However, what is subtracted in this case are not numbers but the structure of the grid itself. Submergings: A Drawing Approach to Masculinities is curated by Cecilia Fajardo-Hill and will remain open at the MoLAA until January 3, 2012.