Stelo

Galleria P420 is pleased to present Stelo, the double solo show by Rodrigo Hernández (Mexico City, 1983) and Rita Ponce de León (Lima, 1982).

Stelo comes from an idea of the two artists, who after having met during their time at the Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City had long felt the desire to do a project together. The exhibition develops along two parallel paths, representing the individual relationship of each artist with a mentor, a figure of reference and inspiration that influenced their personal and artistic growth. Stelo is germination, development, a slim but solid stem, the starting point for growth, for branching out into new paths and encounters.

Rita Ponce de León is influenced by the figure of the Japanese Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno, whose practice she experienced directly with Yoshito Ohno, son of Kazuo.

Rodrigo Hernández, on the other hand, has been inspired by the encounter of his tutor during his years of study in Karlsruhe, the Swiss artist Silvia Bächli, with whom he has developed a relationship of friendship and ongoing exchange over the years, strengthened after the time he lived in Basel, where Bächli also resides.

The works in the show are not simply tributes to these “mentors,” but also reflect certain phases of this journey through art and life. In the site-specific installation made for the spaces of the gallery, the two artists use simple materials like fabric and terracotta, already seen in the work of Rita Ponce de León, but without precedents in the work of Hernández.

The works have been entirely produced during the time spent by the artists in Bologna, in the weeks prior to the opening of the show.