the place between words
luis hernández mellizo BijlmAIR artist-in-residence
8 april 2018 - 5 mei 2018
Luis Hernández Mellizo (Bogotá, Colombia, 1978) is the new artist of the BijlmAIR residency program by CBK Zuidoost in collaboration with Bradwolff Projects and the Stedelijk Museum. All BijlmAIR artists integrate ‘Amsterdam Zuidoost’ into their art projects in one way or another, based on a relationship with the area formulated by them. Mellizo has chosen to reflect on the backgrounds and places where the people in the Bijlmer come from. This work aligns with his ongoing project on cultural identities and social discourses in various cities, aimed at establishing connections between his work and a working class.
The title of Mellizo’s solo exhibition, ‘The Place Between Words’, at Bradwolff Projects, refers to his explorations of cultural identities within the Bijlmer and his endeavor to differentiate ‘something’ that cannot actually be written, spoken, or translated. Mellizo’s project attempts to portray a social landscape. He does this by visualizing his own experiences of coexistence in the midst of this multicultural area, experiencing Amsterdam (Southeast) both as a tourist and as a newcomer. For this exhibition, Mellizo visualizes his own experience of life in Amsterdam and the diverse cultural identities that surround him.
By posing a series of questions about places, languages, and words, Mellizo strives to find common ground amidst a diversity of experiences, memories, and coexistence within the Bijlmer. With these questions, he encourages people in the Bijlmer to reflect on their position in society and their own backgrounds. Mellizo further investigates this exploration of identities in dictionaries and atlases by searching for words that are written or marked: through his interventions, he creates a new visual language. His meticulousness in deconstructing these ‘language constructions’ emphasizes this ‘place’ that lies between the words.
Luis Hernández Mellizo studied visual arts at the National University of Colombia in Bogotá and at the National University of the Arts in Buenos Aires. Since then, he has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions in various cities in Latin America and internationally. Mellizo divides his time between Bogotá and Buenos Aires and is able to work independently and flexibly. He is the coordinator of La Mancha, a relay project of artists to conduct temporary interventions at LPEP, an art house in Buenos Aires. He is represented by Galería Nueveochenta, Bogotá.