Romero works at the intersection between social memory, ephemeral architecture, advertising signs and the passage of time. After extraordinary success at the Seattle Art Fair, we are pleased to present Romero's first gallery installation in the Northwest. Through the strappo technique, used by anthropologists and archaeologists to detach and restore mural paintings from walls, Romero recounts the recent history of a place, in an intimate and emotional take on visual memory.
Internationally recognized, Romero rescues the memories of Mexican cities by looking at old advertisements, public announcements, political slogans, and graffiti covering the walls and buildings throughout cities and small towns in Latin America. Over time, these placards have deteriorated, having been painted over several times. They are folded into the cityscape or pueblo-scape and have become an identifying feature of the culture. His project gives the locals a voice by listening to the previous generational stories, the artworks become an indelible representation of their ancestors. The facades he works on are from neighborhood mom and pop shops that have slowly disappeared with globalization. They were an integral part of a tightly-knit community. Once Romero decides on a sign he wants to extract, he gets the permission from the owners and then begins by getting to know the people in the community very well. Romero is paying homage to these places by preserving their history, creating a bridge between locals, art institutions and art collectors, putting them at the same table, dialoguing about social, historical and cultural references, and relating to one another. In preserving these neglected facades he is forming part of and preserving Mexico’s modern history.
In addition to our existing programming of an exhibition from Mark Beck in September, we specifically planned this special installation of Alfredo Romero's work for Art + Culture Week. We will have documentary videos that can be shared with those who come in to see the work, as well as impromptu talks from the curators for anyone who attends Saturday.
