Artist 252
Alejand Pereda
Materiality
Sculptural Surrealism
Alejandro Almanza Pereda (born 1977) is a Mexican Postwar & Contemporary artist who specializes in sculpture. He formerly worked in New York, and currently lives and works between the United States and Mexico, maintaining his practice in both locales.
By searching out vintage objects in flea markets and thrift stores, Almanza Pereda integrates mundane materials into large-scale sculptures that challenge both the durability of the objects and his ability to create a stable structure.
His sometimes perilous and fragile installations use various discarded objects and are influenced by urban landscapes and his childhood in Mexico City.
His frequent use of neon light-tubes, for instance, is due in part to his interest in the simultaneous fragility and strength of these objects that are easily shattered but, in some positions, can withstand significant pressure.
By finding inspiration in the objects he selects, Almanza Pereda eschews narrative and prefers to focus on materiality. Though his work is influenced by Dutch still-life painting, it can touch on the surreal, especially in more recent work that experiments with underwater photography.
When asked in an interview where Pereda finds inspiration he explains, “Inspiration, mmmhh well I find it in the streets, films, people, art, etc... My first approach to art, and it was the most important, was an Alexander Calder exhibition in Mexico City. I remember my mom bought me a poster of a piece of him and immediately when we returned home I started to make sculptures with soda cans.”
When asked about his studio practice Almanza Pereda goes on to say, “My studio practice (if I happen to have a studio), is to store things, smoke cigars, drink some whiskey, read, look at white walls, and browse the internet. I think I pass more time outside gathering materials, looking at the city, etc... than making things.”
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Sources Consulted
http://contemporaryartruck.blogspot.com/2010/12/interview-with-alejandro-almanza-pereda.html?m=1
http://contemporaryartruck.blogspot.com/2010/12/interview-with-alejandro-almanza-pereda.html?m=1
https://art21.org/artist/alejandro-almanza-pereda/
http://www.artspace.com/alejandro_almanza_pereda
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