Unit 9, Copeland Gallery in Peckham forms part of a pleasant complex that also houses a gym, bars and restaurants. It offers generously large spaces, where the art can be viewed in comfort. Ismael Rodríguez Fernández has made full use of it with his multi-media works, that range from sculptures, to prints, paintings, drawing, acrylic sketches, collages and installations.
Rodríguez is an accomplished artist and his compelling exhibitions quickly attracted attention in his home country. Educated in Venezuela, he started out with a show in Caracas (2014), “Recortables” (Cut- Outs) at the Alliance Française in Maracay in 2015, and the “Inventario” (Inventory) at the Modern Art Museum Juan Astorgas Anta in Mérida, also in 2015. In Spain, he held exhibitions in Asturias and Valencia, and, more recently, he took part, with Saatchi Art, in the Los Angeles Art Fairs in 2022.
Rodríguez’s works have a haunting quality, like the recurring image of a child, be it with an armadillo, or simply staring at the viewer. He delves deep into his memories and experiences of nature, some formed during his early years in the high-altitude town of Mérida, in Venezuela, that is surrounded by almost virgin rainforest. There is a freshness to Rodríguez’s gaze, with evocative images that challenge the damage that humans inflict on the world. Wood prints of ants and beetles are placed around in spaces where they can be trampled as a metaphor of what we do to them in real life.
Rodríguez: -
“Yes, go ahead… you can step on it, it’s an ant. This is a metaphor that I create with the ants, because they’re gregarious like we are. They also live in a society. I also want to remind people that they’ve been here for millions of years, long before we were. They discovered agriculture, and there are ants that have a knowledge of medicine, it is an evolution of millions of years, living in the environment and they’re not like us, who are super invasive and destructive to all that is around us.
So, it’s a gaze at those insects and animals from which we could learn a great deal. We always place ourselves as if we were at the summit of evolution here on earth, right at the top, but in reality, we have much that we could learn from them”.
A graduate of Visual Arts from the Universidad de los Andes, in Mérida. He launched his artistic career there, taking part in exhibitions and International Biennales. Yet, Rodríguez has also lived in many parts of the world, where he has been gathering more memories to work on: -
“This is my first individual show in London. I have lived in the UK for just over three years now. When I arrived, I went straight to Oxford. I had previously lived in Spain for a while, and before that I was in Colombia. So, although I come from Venezuela I’ve been leaping about. One December, my brother said. ‘Come and see me’, and I’m still here. I’m always working with my memories. Mérida is up in the Andes and the highest city in Venezuela. The Andes there divides into two sections. One of those is known as the Sierra de la Culata, that’s where my family's home is based. It’s an amazing place, deep in the rainforest. It rains all the time and is super green, and at the same time. we’re always surrounded by creepy crawlies and an infinity of insects. Even today, when I go home to visit, I am amazed at the diversity that is quite incredible."
Working with found objects is another of Rodriguez’s favourites. His woodcuts are carved out of discarded chopping boards that a restaurant decided to throw out. This is an exceptionally hard wood so the resulting prints retains some of that tough quality, literally ingrained. The same can be said of some of the sculptures that also reveal their origins. Where things spring from, is important to him, revealing his concerns about our existential interconnectedness and the need to understand and reflect on the living world around us, from flora to fauna. He works from the large to the minute, also creating delicate tiny drawings with fine detail.
Rodríguez is almost bouncing with energy. He plans to continue working during the exhibition, that is open till Sunday July 23rd, having brought a number of materials with him. He has printed some of his images on some canvas bags that will be for sale, so if you like ants…!
“The installation will most likely grow!”
One whole wall is covered in smaller drawings, painting, and collages.
“It’s as if I were painting with scissors [in the collages]. These pieces are like a nursery or a seed bed. Many of my paintings and works, be they prints, collages or drawings come from these sketches, you can even see that some of these collages have actual fragments of plants and flowers embedded in them.”
As the installation ants get restless and are crawling up the walls, it seems that Rodríguez himself is also getting itchy feet and is contemplating the possibility of moving to LA.
“It is a market that is expanding, and the reception has been phenomenal, so I am feeling quite indecisive about whether to stay or go. In the end it’s people who dictate where your market should be.”
This is an interesting and thought-provoking exhibition by an up-and-coming young artist that clearly has a world ahead opening for him to explore
“This exhibition is based on my memories of Venezuela and all that I have experienced here [in the UK] and I have combined them [to create these works].”
THE BREATHING ISLAND will be
at Unit 9, The Copeland Park, 133, Copeland Road Peckham SE15 3SN till Sunday 23rd July, 2023.
