A glimpse into the future of contemporary art: Mateo López’s Make Do and Mend
“This pandemic has revealed that we have taken a lot for granted,” says Mateo López, a Columbian artist and contributor to the Nicole Brachetti Peretti Collection, of his new exhibition, Make Do and Mend. The much-anticipated exhibition will be his first solo exhibition in a decade. “Our actions as humans have great impact,” he continues, “and with this in mind I find myself considering the potential to transform, to mend and to heal.”
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1978, López’s work is exploratory of the human experiences of both physical and emotional journeys, chance, time and the correlation between life’s chaotic events. His multimedia approach to interpreting these instances of human existence ranges from drawings to illustrations, architecture to film. In Make do and Mend, which is taking place at Goodman Gallery, South Africa, until 26th September, it is his collage, sculpture and filmography upon which the spotlight is shone, with special regards to the question of repair. The works in the exhibition demonstrate López’s repurposing of unused materials in his studio throughout the lockdown.
Make Do and Mend distils its theme into a concise adage that asks the world to slow itself and focus on repairing to allow it to move forward. López believes, “we must shrink for the future good: Slow down, take care of each other and reflect on consumer practices.” The memorable, alliterative phrase from which the exhibition takes its name was coined in the 1940s in the midst of WWII, a period defined by fear and control. The maxim served to remind people to take better care of their belongings as rations were introduced, and now, López is reinterpreting it, speaking metaphorically about mending society, working with what we have to progress towards a better world.
Drawing inspiration from the innovative thought Josef Albers, a German artist and educator, López cites a particular instance of his approach to design and the arts for his exhibition. “Albers entered the classroom of a Bauhaus Preliminary Class in 1923,” he explains. “with a bundle of newspaper under his arm, he says, ‘Ladies and Gentleman, we are poor and not rich. We cannot afford to waste materials or time. Every piece of work has a starting material, and therefore we must examine the nature of this material. I would like you to take these newspapers in hand and make something more out of them than what they are at present. If you can do so without any accessories, such as cutters, scissors or glue, all the better.’”
The timely exhibition will elevate the way we see waste. So too will it reinforce the importance of resourcefulness in a society driven by conspicuous and compulsive consumption. In a time defined by scarcity, a slower pace of living and the looming threats to the environment, López’s diverse, political and thought-provoking portfolio is a glimpse into the future of contemporary art.