The Blanton Museum of Art is pleased to present the work of Argentine artist Fabián Bercic for its current WorkSpace—a series that explores new developments in contemporary art by featuring commissioned projects by emerging and mid-career artists from around the world.
Bercic provides a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional Zen garden in his site-specific installation for WorkSpace. As a critique of consumerism and the commercialization of culture, Bercic transforms the usually sacred rock garden, replacing its natural and organic elements with synthetic, day-glo, plastic materials. Not simply an opposition between an idealized past and an imperfect present, Bercic's work reminds us that we can only look to the past through a contemporary lens. The work, in this contemporary context, reflects the artist's interest in the cuteness (kawaii) of Japanese product design and Anime. It also reveals his fascination with medieval manuscript illustrations and draws heavily from his own imagination. He synthesizes multiple sources as he poses the question of how one can create a meaningful Zen garden with the materials of a late-capitalist society.
Bercic provides a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional Zen garden in his site-specific installation for WorkSpace. As a critique of consumerism and the commercialization of culture, Bercic transforms the usually sacred rock garden, replacing its natural and organic elements with synthetic, day-glo, plastic materials. Not simply an opposition between an idealized past and an imperfect present, Bercic's work reminds us that we can only look to the past through a contemporary lens. The work, in this contemporary context, reflects the artist's interest in the cuteness (kawaii) of Japanese product design and Anime. It also reveals his fascination with medieval manuscript illustrations and draws heavily from his own imagination. He synthesizes multiple sources as he poses the question of how one can create a meaningful Zen garden with the materials of a late-capitalist society.
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