Moreno: coal and modernity

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Artist Eduardo Moreno works with coal.
Artist Eduardo Moreno works with coal.

Eduard Moreno (b.1975) is recognized for working with carbon paper and which induces the spectator to connect to his visually-charged themes. In the exhibition at the NC-Arte  entitled ‘Echar por tierra’ the artist reflects on modernity and the questionable notion that progress is somehow associated with economic gain. The artist also looks at the relationship between coal mining and the destruction of our natural resources, provoking viewers to find answers in his art as to why certain things are done, and at whatever the cost. Translated as “throw away,” to cover and bury under earth: ‘Echar por tierra’ also suggests the collapse of our earth, the relentless tearing up by mining companies of our natural habitat to fuel a carbon- based society.

Like other artists tackling contemporary issues, Moreno is concerned with the impact of coal in our lives. Yet musing on the matter hardly makes the problem go away. Conrado Uribe, curator of the exhibition, believes this artist also “meets the challenge of burying the hopes, dreams, utopias, and illusions of the modern project” in Colombia and in Latin America.

Moreno’s works occupy the entire gallery. On the first floor the artist displays a real machine used in the mineral’s extraction. Instead of rocks and ore, conveyor belts carry images in continuous forms of carbon paper, in dot printers; a technique this artist has mastered.

Another piece named ‘Mal aliento’ (Bad breath), is a sculpture in process, and in which embroidered miners helmets of gold threads and Baroque mo- tives are covered with earth and insects debris. The hats become insectaries with nests of living beetles. The work Cielo abierto (Open sky) juxtaposes 8 mm film on moving images of the Apollo 9 mission to the Moon. In a video, the artist also projects pictures of lunar craters on the Earth’s surface, expecially the world’s largest open pit mine, the Cerrejón in La Guajira. Using technology, frames, the artsist reveals emotions of both failure and frustration with the economic times in which he lives.

With a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Moreno went on to study contemporary Art History at the Institute of Arts in Madrid, with a scholarship award for excellence. He has participated in many individual and group exhibitions, receiving different awards such as: First Prize at the V edition of Young Artists, First Prize at the 20th Salón Nacional del Fuego (2008) of Fundación Gilberto Alzate Avendaño and an Honorable Mention in Salón Fernando Botero (2008) among others. Moreno lives and works in Bogotá where he teaches at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano.

NC – ARTE . Cra 5 No. 26 B – 76. 

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