The Z’otz* Collective
Ashley Johnson,
artist, writer and curator
Toronto,
June 2, 2008
The current state of art demands
new solutions to the old problem of communication. Despite the eclectic promise
of Post Modernism, certain forms of conceptual art still dominate the
institutions that hold sway over what is valued in art history. Much of this
linear paradigm is rooted in a political conservatism that does not place value
on art as a communicator but rather as a commodity. It’s ironic that many of
art’s manifestations like Minimalism, originally had socialistic agendas, like
getting rid of the pedestal, but over time these ideas have been subsumed into
the product.
Conceptualism
developed from Minimalism, according to the dominant art historical timeline
and shares many traits, like a rejection of the artist’s hand. The purist idea
is that absolute truth is somehow lodged in the mind and has no correlation in
experienced reality. Therefore only the idea is important and not the art
object.
The
Z’otz* Collective is a reflection of the continuing need amongst artists to
express themselves physically despite this oppressive cloud. For Z’otz* it is
mainly through traditional mediums like drawing and collage. Where they depart
from traditional art production is when they work simultaneously on drawings,
combining their visions.
A
recent residency in Serbia has added a three-dimensional element to their work.
They have been working in clay, passing the sculpture between them. Thus the
thought process becomes very dependent on the hand’s experience, and each
addition or alteration is part of ‘growing’ the final expression. The image or
object contains an impending story that will be unfolded in due course.
Ultimately, one would expect these experiments to reach fruition through
time-based media.
In
a strange twist, recent neurological investigations reveal that the brain does
not function in the linear manner predicted by previous philosophical thought.
Instead, a wild assortment of conflicting information impulses compete for
registration. The system is likened to a sketching process.
The
three artists in Z’otz*, Erik Jerezano, Nahúm Flores and Ilyana Martínez
epitomize this procedure. Their composite drawings are bizarre animistic
hybrids that combine impulses. Each artist allows sufficient psychological
space for the collaborators, which results in a communal release of creative
energy. Equally, they stamp their own vision in the whole through personal
archetypes.
The
final images are intensely layered and one can discern a variety of influences.
Although individuality is submerged, it’s possible to identify the creators of
recurring motifs, like Jerezano’s crawling insects in Disaster Without
Precedence. This image also features the use of photographic montage so the
hands and body of the person are realistic, contrasted with naïve renditions of
green boots and graphic symbolism of the soul departing the body.
There
is an overall concern to convey certain social themes like corporate greed and
also environmental degradation. 200 Years of Company is a monolithic stack of
large books floating above footprints that look like land. A leg and arm emerge
from the sides of the portrait bust at the top of the column. He has stuff or
wings coming out of his ears. It’s humorous and serious at the same time.
In
Subtle Observations, there is a sense of the wounds afflicting the planet and
society. A hyena with a bandaged human head stands over a huge watermelon. The
bandages become human hands stretching up to rescue a puppy in the ether of the
mind. All of life is interconnected and an affliction in one affects us all.
Plants
are constantly displacing the concrete in a battle for balance. They grow out
of a linear structure containing water in Tales of a Man who Found Eternity in
a Can. The silhouette of a man’s head rises from the structure. His mouth spews
forth a dream animal or another world.
These
artworks evoke phantasmagoric reality much like the literary phenomenon, Magic
Realism, exemplified by author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s interesting that
all three members of Z’otz* share a Latin American background. In Marquez’
novel, 100 Years of Solitude, the final image is of termites devouring the
house.
The
emphasis is on the fragility and yet tenacity of existence, as delicate
organisms cling to life. The Z’otz* collective primarily uses paper as the
support for their works although they have also used other more transitory
supports like walls. The use of paper suggests a humble quality, much in
keeping with the awe one experiences in the face of reality and our inability
to comprehend it. Paper comes from trees and in a sense it is a link with the
organisms that keep the planet in oxygen. So too, the Z’otz* Collective is a
breath of fresh air in an art zone heavily polluted.