Daniel Otero Torres Asi Fue

The work of Daniel Otero Torres is grounded in the re-construction of ideology through drawings done by hand on aluminum and stainless steel. Moving between drawing and sculpture, Otero Torres’ origami-like constructions appear at first as uncanny large-format black and white photographs. Upon closer inspection, one realizes the images are in fact handmade drawings, laboriously done with graphite pencils over a flat surface that has the visual weightlessness of paper but the actual density of metal. The artist’s unusual technique succeeds in creating a dislocation of materials as well as of contexts: his images represent not a single individual but a visual and historical collage created from a number of sources: from antique archives and books, to found images in contemporary newspapers or online sources that reflect the artist’s process of understanding the role of marginalized or largely ignored populations that have, nonetheless, played essential roles in recent history around the world. On the occasion of his first solo show in Istanbul, the artist will present a new body of works he produced while in residency in Turkey during 2019. Así Fue is a construction of a mythology fed by his research on Turkey's 'Village Institute' (Köy Enstitüleri) public policy led in the country in the 40's in order to develop the rural zones. At the time there weren't any schools in most of the villages of Anatolia. Village Institutes were established to meet the needs of the teachers for each village and to train them. Despite their short life, they highly increased the number of primary schools in the country and grew exponentially within The decade
they existed. The exhibition will gather new works on paper, sculptural works such as graphite drawings on aluminum as well as ceramics and photograph.

Daniel Otero Torres (b. 1985, Bogotá, Colombia) currently lives and works in Paris, France. His work has been exhibited in numerous institutions such as the Musée Régional d’Art Contemporain MRAC Sérignan, France, including his solo exhibition (Dé)placements (2017); a large scale installations in
La Tôlerie, Clermont Ferrand, France (2019); and in group exhibitions such as Paroxysm of Sublime FLAX LA (2019); Bandes à part (2018); Contemporary Art Centre of Villeurbanne, Rhône-Alpes, France (2016); Kunstverein Sparkasse, Leipzig, Germany (2014); Heidelberg Kunstverein, Germany (2011); and the Bullukian Foundation, Lyon, France (2010), among others. Upcoming projects include Drawing Lab Paris, France, where the artist will present a major solo show in 2020. He has been a resident of the Villa Belleville (2015-2016); Moly-Sabata Residency in Les Sablons, France (2014); the Cité des arts de Paris (2011-2012), and L’a rape-couleurs in Lyon, France. He has been awarded the Hors les murs creation and research program award by the French Institute; the Prix Rhône-Alpes de la Jeune Création, Rendez-vous 15, Biennale de Lyon; and the prize of the Conseil Général of the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Lyon.