Felipe Mujica: The Swaying Motion on the Bank of the River Falls

Felipe Mujica (b. Santiago, Chile; lives in New York) creates works comprised of installation, drawing, collapsible sculptures, and printmaking. His fabric panels—or curtains, as he describes them—operate as both sculptural objects and functional architectural interventions. They often serve as modifiable extensions to the space in which they are displayed; some of them are movable, redirecting the viewer’s passage through the exhibition and thus proposing a dynamic composition that is not determined in advance, but varies depending on the interaction with the work. The geometric designs on many of these curtains are inspired by themes close to the artist, or by the work of other artists belonging to the historical avant-gardes such as Alexander Rodchenko and Paul Klee. Another fundamental aspect of his practice is to open up his art to dialogue with others through a socially engaged production. For example, in his project for the 32nd São Paulo Biennial, Mujica worked in partnership with Brazilian designers and embroiderers from a local community to employ their personal knowledge and techniques to produce the panels. In Mexico for the XIII Bienal FEMSA, Mujica worked in partnership with the Wixárikas artisans from Zacatecas to introduce their cultural knowledge and traditional beading method into his abstract designed panels.