For his exhibition at i8, he leaves colours aside and limits himself to black on white. This decision emphasizes the sculptural and rhythmical qualities of the shapes in the drawings. Space becomes almost the only protagonist and is structured by geometric elements: squares, rectangles, triangles and circles, arranged in superpositions, sequences, subdivisions and reflections. Often the elements in each drawing transform into other elements, for example circles turn into a square or squares turn into a circle. It is an almost alchemic transformation. Some of the geometric figures may remind us of cultic symbols (e.g. a triangle for the Holy Trinity), but almost always they are structured by mathematical rules and formulas. Additionally, each drawing contains gradings from pitch black to light, so even though the drawings are theoretically abstract, there is an illusion of light and shadow that creates an atmospheric, almost mystic energy. On the other hand, there is a certain playfulness that reminds us of educational systems with a very optimistic world view, such as Bauhaus, Montessori or Waldorf, in which geometric symbols were used as tools to simplify and better our understanding of the world, and to further individual imagination and fantasy.
The exhibition as a whole could be read as a collection of signs that, depending on the viewer’s background, can be interpreted as mathematical formulas, architectural projects, musical compositions or poems on the wall. The black & white gradings and similar sizes, as well as the methods of composition, turn the works into a suite with strong formal ties that have a dynamic flow of energy between them. The main theme could be understood as construction through division, repetition, reflection or echo.
Ignacio Uriarte (b. 1972 in Krefeld, Germany) lives and works in Berlin. He studied audiovisual arts at the Centro de Artes Audiovisuales in Guadalajara, Mexico from 1999 to 2001. Uriarte’s solo exhibitions include Apropos Papier: Ignacio Uriarte, Bürokünstler, Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren (2018); Bürozeit, Kunstmuseum Villa Zanders, Bergisch Gladbach (2015); Unos y Ceros, MARCO, Vigo (2014); Acht Studenten zählen, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (2014); Binaries, UMOCA (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art), Salt Lake City; Line of Work, The Drawing Center, New York City; Productive Inefficiency, Skuc gallery, Ljubljana (all 2013); Workspace, DAZ (Deutches Architektur Zentrum), Berlin (2012); Works, Sala Rekalde, Bilbao (2011); The invention of letters, PICA Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth (2010) and Tan sencillo como una línea ó un círculo, Laboratorio 987, MUSAC, Leon (2008).