After all sculptural pieces have been hung and placed the top drawings are pinned to the foam core forms, with the asisstance of gallery installers, ladders and a lift, we were able to weave strands and install pieces at a good pace.
After all the paper strands are woven and pinned to wall the sculptural pieces are completed!
Samples of the fragmented body drawings that affixed with steel pins on the foam core sculptural bases.
You, me and all of us are in this together / Reach out to those that don't know their HIV status, COLA 2019
Foam core board, steel pins, acid free archival glue, acrylic painting, pastels, sepia, graphite, pigmented ink, black marker, manila paper, artist adhesive tape, thumbtacks.
Measured in inches and calculated angle degrees. Detailed on strips of white paper with HIV surveillance and infection rates data from:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men," "HIV and African American Gay and Bisexual Men, "HIV and Hispanic / Latino Gay and Bisexual Men;"
Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's 2017 Annual HIV Surveillance Report and 2016 Annual 2016 STD Surveillance Report and Positively Award's HIV Drug Guide 2019.
From exhibition wall label:
"Enrique Castrejon creates drawings and installations that appropriate images of the male body to explore desire, queer aesthetics, violence and stigma. He is particularly interested in counteracting the underrepresentation of queer men of color in the mainstream media.
These sculptures of male bodies are anointed with data relating to HIV infection rates, which are higher in among Black and Latinx populations. The matter-of-fact appearance of these numbers stands in stark contrast to the subjective experience of the people represented by such statistics. In this way, the artist indicates how the "objective" use of measurement can distance us from uncomfortable subjects."
Gallery Installation shots:
Small detail of the strand of black paper with measurements of body and white strand of paper with HIV / STI data creating intricate webbing around the bodies.
Enrique Castrejon : Los Angeles, CA
Paper cut out patters are place in position of where the sculptural pieces will go accordingly.
Each Sculptural piece is affixed to the wall with thumbtack and the long strands of paper are also woven and pinned to the wall. Process is slow, meditative and challenging, but the outcome is surprisingly wonderful. At this point of the installation I did not know how the whole piece would look like since I did not actually display the piece as I did in this exhibition in my studio. So It was a slow reveal!
Each sculptural piece that make the bodies were individually measured in inches and calculated angle degrees, so the black strands of paper indicate where each of these measurements are coming from. At the end of paper strips are the quantified units of these shapes!