The first edition of the grant ‘Phase One. Artistic Production Program by the Region of Madrid – DKV’ has selected Marco Godoy’s project ‘The distance between us’. Phase One has the objective to facilitate a first solo show in an institution to artists under 35 years old.
Marco Godoy, interested in hierarchical relations and the visual construction of authority, reflects on distances, proposing a visual walkthrough along fence typologies in public and private spaces. The exhibition addresses borders and frontiers –of physical and psychological natures– that we create to protect us from ourselves. This work parts from the division of common land in England, known as enclosure, in order to relate to other social conflicts latent in our society.
The artist has compiles defense devices in Northern Europe, that serve to delimit places and must comply with regulations that indicate the height they should be placed in. These are dangerous elements that make a place impenetrable. However, they have sophisticated over time to acquire a decorative character, using shapes that mimic vegetable motifs. As inequality grows, fence architecture camouflages in its surroundings, resulting in images of absolute seduction that confront absolute repulsion.
Godoy proposes a dialogue with these mechanisms, simultaneously presenting other issues associated with relativity of non-visible distances, these cultural, sociological, or ideological barriers that generate differences in contemporary society. This way, the artist offers the spectator a dialogue with this interweaving of frontiers built inside the exhibition space.
Ana García Alarcón. Curator of the exhibition