José Carlos Martinat’s offhand archeology

Atahualpa, (2012)

Peru makes itself present in the Adrastus Collection with Atahualpa (2012), a sculpture pertaining to a fifteen sculpture series called “Dispositivos de Deleite”. Through the use of copper layers, the artist recreates the exact copy of the monuments and statues representing the Peruvian historical heroes. Just like a candy’s wrapping, the malleability of the copper sheets and the engraving work depict the fragility of the historical past.

Inspired by the architecture and the urban milieu, in relation with the human collective memory, Juan Carlos Martinat’s artwork confronts the tangible and the virtual world. His multimedia installations and sculptural assemblages incorporate a diversity of materials and strategies that alter preconceptions that concern where things traditionally belong.¹ Just like an archeologist, Juan Carlos Martinat brings the historical street imprints into the exhibition space.

^{1. [Salgado, Gabriela. José Carlos Martinat: selected artworks, Saatchi Gallery, London, 2011.] ↩}