Mixto Sin Mixto, 2010 
Mountain, 2010 
"tezcatl" (mirror), 2010 |
Past ExhibitionMartin DurazoPlata O PlomoOctober 16 – November 14, 2010 CB1 Gallery was pleased to present Plata O Plomo, a solo show of the work of Los Angeles artist, Martin Durazo. The exhibition was on view in our East Gallery on October 16 and continued through November 14, 2010. Working with multiple approaches in order to investigate a power structure, the exhibition Plata O Plomo is an aesthetic interpretation of the economic strategy of drug traffickers. The phrase “Plata O Plomo” translates to “silver or lead”. This implies that one must accept bribes “plata (silver)” or be filled with “plomo (lead)” resulting in a vexatious ethical dilemma. Drug traffickers offer the choice to loose one’s soul or one’s life. Using the underground drug-trafficking culture as a point of departure, the work interprets a dark subject and channels the impulses, desires, and anxieties associated with unrestrained hedonistic behavior. Foregrounding the literal imagery of the materials of silver and lead, Durazo creates metallic and neon spray painted canvases, sculptures that allude to the crystallization of Methamphetamine, text based works that echo the words “Plata o Plomo”, video works that alter live action footage into dark dreamlike states of fear and desire, and a large scale multi-media wall work that occupies the gallery space like a chapel shrine to an imposing ominous energy. |
