Of Monkeys and Furniture...

6:38 p.m.

 
09/06/23 - Edgardo Giménez was born in Santa Fe (Argentina) in 1942 and grew up surrounded by fauna, Tarzan movies (Chita, the monkey) and religion (his mother was a Jehovah's Witness and preached door to door). Those childhood memories, added to his time at the Di Tella Institute, result in a work in which humour, in a grotesque tone, is the main characteristic.

 
Wise up and wake up, by Edgardo Giménez (2002)
Materials: lacquered wood
 
Giménez began drawing monkeys that were then transformed into sculptures and later acquired exotic poses, like classical dancing, which confirms that humor is a constant in his work and that the absence of a story does not impoverish it
 
From the exhibition "No habrá ninguno igual" by Edgardo Giménez

His multifaceted personality allowed him to experiment in different fields, such as architecture. That is why the curator of the exhibition "No habrá ninguno igual", María José Herrera, clarifies that "this is a non-exhaustive retrospective". We will only see his autonomous artistic side and other works but not the totality of what he produced, such as his works for advertising and set design. The photo above showing a rabbit, a probable reference to Alice in Wonderland, has exaggerated dimensions, which gives it a plus. The sculpture is located in a fully mirrored room, emulating the lobby of the house of Jorge Romero Brest (art critic and director of the Di Tella Institute) that the artist made for him. In the photo you can also see the polka-dot armchair (behind the rabbit) that also belonged to RB

 
La Mamushka operada, by Edgardo Giménez (1964)
Materials: metal, synthetic skin and industrial paint
 

A kind of transformed bee that pays homage to the art-object of the Pop era is also part of this bestiary. From the assembly and reuse of waste objects, to the addition of cheap fabrics, he produces this hybrid and naif Mamouchska ,a mixture of bird, insect and bat.

Regarding the furniture, Giménez maintains the humorous imprint that saturates the entire show. The Secretaire Cat is the perfect proof of the artistic object that is also part of everyday life. In this case it  has real usefulness and it's not a piece for observation only. The same happens with a chest of drawers painted with monkeys and that has a kind of rainbow on top. Both not allowed for minimal environments
 
Gato Secretaire, by Edgardo Giménez (1960-2016)
 
Furniture piece with mandriles and clouds, by Edgardo Giménez (1964)
Materials: wood and synthetic enamel

The exhibition which takes places at the MALBA in Buenos Aires, is a runway in which the which the visitor receives all these images together. This is the main characteristic and what explains the hoards of visitors that just want to spend a nice time without having to read the signs nor the explanations of the curatorship. We like it, it's fun and that's what matters.

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Contents

Liliana Wrobel


Production & Translation

Carla Mitrani

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