Nada Concreto (Nothing Concrete)
Jessica Kairé’s folding monuments are inspired by iconic Guatemalan monuments, those that recall great historical milestones: independence, the unfinished dream of a united Central America, the Revolution of 1944. But unlike their immutable models, Kairé’s monuments rise only for brief moments, held by a few hands, only to collapse shortly thereafter. Cleverly, they mimic the flimsy architecture that shapes the collective imagination of Guatemalans.
We pay scant attention to the monuments that inhabit our city. Battered, obscured by the smoke of pickup trucks, their faces tell us little. Some disappear at night and also during the day, or lose arms and legs that melt to be sold on the black market. They seek to remind us of past glories, but rather refer to the pending promises of our history. In their longed-for grandeur we perceive a gentle irony. What is celebrated here, they seem to say, is far from your reality.
The folding monuments, on the contrary, suggest lightness. They do not carry the weight of empty words, and in their canvas surfaces there is a gentle warmth.
Still, let us not be fooled by the clean lines and comforting volume of these
works, for the game is in their political dimension. They will only exist in
full body if the people around them organize themselves to lift them up, tense them and keep them on their toes. They remind us that the ideals inscribed in our history are only valid to the extent that people participate in their daily construction. In order for these monuments to have a body, the spectator must put his or her own.
Nor is it a coincidence that these works appear precisely at this moment, at this juncture. Like the coming and going of the political tides in Guatemala, Kairé’s work reflects the protean relationship that Guatemalans have with our institutions and democracy. Until recently we celebrated with fervor the collective victories of citizenship; just as quickly we understood the fleeting nature of those achievements. The folding monuments refer to that continuous back-and-forth through their transitory condition and the varied forms in which they are presented: folded on shelves, unfolded in their full volume, or turned into a puddle of fabric at our feet.
Jessica Kairé’s work is related by its precision and discreet humor to the texts of Augusto Monterroso. Before erecting new monuments or destroying those of the past, let’s read and see what both works can tell us.
The black sheep
Augusto Monterroso
In a distant country, many years ago, there was a black sheep. She was shot.
A century later, the repentant flock erected an equestrian statue of her that
looked very nice in the park.
-Rodrigo Fuentes
Other exhibitions by Jessica Kairé at Proyectos Ultravioleta:
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Art Basel 2024
solo show
Basel
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Walking Through a Forest, at Night
group show
Guatemala
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ARCO Madrid 2023
solo show
Madrid
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The Night Dies by the Day, the Day Dies by the Night
group show
Guatemala
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Artissima XYZ 2021
solo show
Turin
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First Sunrises on Earth
group show
Proyectos Ultravioleta, Guatemala City
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The Gardeners
group show
Guatemala City, Guatemala
-
Touch Wood
group show
Guatemala city, Guatemala
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SWAB 2013
group show
Barcelona, Spain
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Proyectos Ultravioleta presents: A space to meet art, spend time between nature and culture, see, listen, feel and think.
group show
San José, Costa Rica
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Proyectos Ultravioleta presents
group show
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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The Terrible 2
group show
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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In My Brother’s House
Guatemala City
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Alchemy of Aches
Guatemala
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Herbaria
London
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Walking Through a Forest, at Night
Guatemala
2023
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Oído vegetal (Vegetal Ear)
Guatemala
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Nina’s Wishbone
London
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Pisapapeles
Guatemala
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Pa ru tun che´ (From the Treetop)
Guatemala
2021
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Suavitel Entertainment Club
San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Oh shining star testify
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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CONDO Shanghai
Regina José Galindo
Shanghai, China
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Sometimes you have to go down to go up
Akira Ikezoe
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2019
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CONDO São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil
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Of the Color of the Forest, at the Bottom of the Sea
Johanna Unzueta
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Live Happily
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Condo London
Hellen Ascoli
London, UK
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The Guardian of the Forest
Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Uncertain Nature, or how Landscape is Constructed From Guatemala
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Condo Unit SP
São Paulo, Brazil
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When He Woke Up…
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2018
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Fantasías
Elisabeth Wild
Glendale California, USA
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The Objective
Regina José Galindo
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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El eje del mal (The Axis of Evil)
Glendale California, USA
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I Woke Up Early to Comb the World
Hellen Ascoli
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2017
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Condo NY
Vivian Suter
New York, USA
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Modulated Emotions
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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In the Prosperous Days
Jorge de León
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Condo London
London, UK
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Dennis, the Florifundia and the Pato Poc
Radamés “Juni” Figueroa
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Monstera Deliciosa
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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AUTO HYSTŒRIA
Alberto Rodríguez Collía
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2016
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The End of the East Coincides with the End of the South
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Touch Wood
Guatemala city, Guatemala
2015
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Melvin Laz
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Fantasía
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Zipacna, Creator of the Mountains
Paris, France
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Elisabeth Wild
Elisabeth Wild
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2014
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The Day Before Yesterday
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Significant Set
Panama City, Panama
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Octopus
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Proyectos Ultravioleta presents: A space to meet art, spend time between nature and culture, see, listen, feel and think.
San José, Costa Rica
2013
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Architecture and Friendship
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Culture and Art in Guatemala
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Proyectos Ultravioleta presents
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Inside Joke
Panama City, Panama
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The Terrible 2
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Proyectos Ultravioleta presents Proyectos Ultravioleta presents…..
Zürich, Switzerland
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Así que se vaya (So it goes) / Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
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BOTH ENDS
London, UK
2012
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Así que se vaya (So it goes) / Comalapa
San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala
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Dolphin Bay
San Juan, Puerto Rico
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P O S T P A N A M A X
Panama City, Panama
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Así que se vaya… (So it goes…)
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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THE BURNING OF THE DEVIL
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Waterfall
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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International Meeting (Cheverista) of Medellin
Medellin, Colombia
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We Dress to Express, Not to Impress
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2011
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Great Masterpieces of the 20th Century
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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BYOB Guatemala
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Mayami Son Machín
Miami, USA
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LUX
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Esther Planas: Events and Aparitions in Red
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Tomorrow
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Silverio
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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ULTRAMARICA
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Ultra Es Low
San José, Costa Rica
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ch.ACO
Santiago de Chile, Chile
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Joy Vinicio
Guatemala City, Guatemala
2010
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Parents, distance and speed
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Buró de Intervenciones Públicas (BIP)
Buró de Intervenciones Públicas
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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Roldán’s Journal
Guatemala City, Guatemala
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El (Inter) National (Psycho) Geographic TWAIN
Guatemala City, Guatemala