Gregorio Peño: Colapso is on view at Michel Soskine Inc, Madrid

Gregorio Peño: Colapso is on view at Michel Soskine Inc, Madrid

September 10 – November 14, 2020

Gregorio Peño (Spain,1983) gathers in Michel Soskine Inc his latest works through ceramic sculpture: Colapso is the title given by the artist to this series of works. He uses the deformation of the sculptural object by gravity as a starting point, as the artist himself affirms:

“The sculptures that I present highlight the use of ceramic as an active subject within the artistic creation and cast doubt on the vague limits between matter and form. Accordingly, the presuppositions of the only purpose of matter as a vehicle for ideas is disrupted, taking an active part in the building process of the final outcome of the object.

Conversely, ceramic is a mean with long history, which implies a wide range of meanings and assumptions. That conflictive side, rather than being problematic, turns ceramic into an exciting artistic vehicle.

The creative process draws from a reciprocal connection, an action that is not simply a mediation between what is human and what is an object, but an assemblage, a crossroads with no dividing lines between practice and theory or craftsman and artist. Matter is conceived as an element of deepening and development.

Collapse is not a word that bears a negative connotation for me, for it entails a point of departure, an “until here and from here”. Thus, I build up shape bearing in mind that its volume will be determined by the physical qualities of the material taken to its extreme, here gravity collapses and builds. This is the way I come up with this kind of shapes that have autonomy and significance by themselves.”

Gregorio Peño Velasco has a long family tradition that merges him with clay and its methods. The processes that make up the sculpture from the moment the material is collected from the earth, the creation of the object forms and the conversion into the fire, mark a timeline that is familiar to him. The transformation of the material is its conceptual dictionary that delimits an artistic itinerary outside of what is established by schools and groups. Graduated in Plastic Arts and Design in Artistic Ceramics in Madrid (2004-2007), he has obtained different scholarships and awards, including: Residency scholarship at New Taipei Yingge Ceramics Museum (Taiwan, 2017); Award from the Spanish Association of Art Critics (AICA, Spain) for the best work or group of works by a Spanish artist at ARCO Madrid 2015; Selected for the special exhibition “Hot Rookies” of the Gyenonggi International Ceramic Biennale (South Korea, 2013); Best Young Special Award at the XXII International Biennial of Contemporary Ceramics in Vallauris (France, 2012) among others. He has participated in numerous individual and group exhibitions, and hhs work is present in public collections such as: Barcelona Design Museum (Barcelona, Spain); New Taipei Yingge Ceramics Museum (Taipei, Taiwan); Icheon World Ceramic Center (Icheon, South Korea); Museum of Modern Ceramic Art (Gifu, Japan); Magnelli Museum (Vallauris, France); Albacete Museum (Spain) among others.

Contact
+34 91 431 06 03
michelsoskineinc@gmail.com

Address
Calle General Castaños 9
28004 Madrid
Spain

Images courtesy Michel Soskine Inc.