THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Inspired by the 'pictures generation' of the 1970s, Ernesto Cánovas makes art that analyses the relationships between popular culture, the mass media and image-making, blurring the lines between what is real and imagined. Engaging references to twentieth-century American artists – Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, John Baldessari, amongst others – are apparent throughout the exhibition.
Interrogating the nature of modern America’s imprint on the world, clouded and broken images of cinematic icons converge with abstracted landscapes saturated with colour. Fleeting images obscured behind layers of resin trigger nostalgia for times gone by. Monumental new works offer space for contemplation and beauty amongst the artist’s sometimes stirring use of found imagery.
The Calm Before the Storm follows Cánovas’ first major monographic museum exhibition at the Centro de Arte Caja de Burgos, Spain, running from June to September 2022.