Camilo Restrepo
Camilo Restrepo’s drawing practice has elements that make it akin to sculpture. He scratches, scrapes and cuts into the paper to highlight its materiality. He does not aim for clean surfaces. His hand smears what he has already drawn, and as the drawings are double-sided, they absorb the pigments of previous drawings that left residue on his desk. They are made with black ink and with a narrow array of colors from water-soluble wax pastels. Restrepo uses his saliva to dissolve the pastels and he links the two sides of the sheet by drawing black holes on either side. He erases with a precision knife leaving scars and wounds that remain visible. The sheets are torn from a sketchbook, and when they comprise a larger work, they are taped together. This enables the drawing to be folded and carried by the artist wherever it needs to go. Aside from the practical convenience, this act adds content to the drawings and also serves to create a record of the transportation itself.
Camilo Restrepo has had solo or two-person exhibitions at Steve Turner, Los Angeles, ARCO, Madrid, Untitled, Miami Beach, Galería Santa Fe, Bogotá, Casa Tres Patios, Medellín, Galería de la Oficina, …
Camilo Restrepo’s drawing practice has elements that make it akin to sculpture. He scratches, scrapes and cuts into the paper to highlight its materiality. He does not aim for clean surfaces. His hand smears what he has already drawn, and as the drawings are double-sided, they absorb the pigments of previous drawings that left residue on his desk. They are made with black ink and with a narrow array of colors from water-soluble wax pastels. Restrepo uses his saliva to dissolve the pastels and he links the two sides of the sheet by drawing black holes on either side. He erases with a precision knife leaving scars and wounds that remain visible. The sheets are torn from a sketchbook, and when they comprise a larger work, they are taped together. This enables the drawing to be folded and carried by the artist wherever it needs to go. Aside from the practical convenience, this act adds content to the drawings and also serves to create a record of the transportation itself.
Camilo Restrepo has had solo or two-person exhibitions at Steve Turner, Los Angeles, ARCO, Madrid, Untitled, Miami Beach, Galería Santa Fe, Bogotá, Casa Tres Patios, Medellín, Galería de la Oficina, Medellín, and LA Galería, Bogotá. In 2010, Restrepo was nominated for the Premio Luis Caballero, the most important prize in Colombia for artists over 35.
Courtesy of Steve Turner