Other Ways

{{I:Other Ways}} is a solo exhibition by artist Cisco Merel at Efraín López in New York City. The show is accompanied by a text authored by curator and art historian Maylin Pérez.

Influenced by his Chinese-Afro-Panamanian roots, Cisco Merel disentangles the poetic and visual codes of his surroundings, transforming them into works of art. Throughout his practice, Merel’s work has evolved from abstract and minimalist geometry to sculptural paintings, photography, and large-scale interactive public installations. Transcending geographical limits, Merel investigates America’s pre-Columbian past through a post-historical lens. As he absorbs the fundamental elements that define popular culture, his work is subtly imbued with a quiet respect for life, nature, and diversity. It is Merel’s unique aptitude for disentangling, digesting, and reconfiguring historical and cultural knowledge that fuels his work as that in which the unpredictable becomes precise and the fractional elements of form dissolve to create a structural illusion that goes beyond the “architectural” plan as it is reaffirmed in the artisanal, perfectly executed.

This the first exhibition in which Merel thematically delves into the earth as a primary element outside of his native country, Panama. Much like the ancient stories of the Quiché, Merel has chartered his own course in what he considers the creation of a place and the shaping of his own destiny. In contemporary times, where the word “crisis” has become a part of everyday discourse, these artworks not only represent migration and the formation of a specific place, but also highlight endeavors to attain it, its impact on the environment, the connection with Mother Nature, and the use of its resources to protect ourselves as a species.

Efraín López

356 Broadway, Unit LL15,

New York, NY 10013

Website

Note: Text as per press release written by Maylin Pérez.