VISUAL AND CRITICAL STUDIES

at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Jorge Mujica

going to work (Images 1-7)

On October 14, 2009 I had a solo show at The Knock-Knock Gallery in Chicago, Illinois titled going to work. Because the gallery is the stair case to an apartment the work had to be sight specific. It was a great opportunity to work with the architecture of the gallery and to experiment with conceptual play using the title of the show.

Dimensions: variable

Materials: poplar wood, enamel paint, masonite,

The following is my artist statement.

I make an effort to look at my surroundings and question the relationship between the objects and concepts that revolve around me at all times. This process of rationalization and social internalization has led me to consider the term “going to work” and examine the different contexts in which we use it.

Some people use the phrase to imply their profession. Others use the phrase as an expression of physical or mental labor. While on the other hand, the phrase also suggests a belonging to civic and social responsibilities, communities and other dichotomies entrenched within our contemporary world. Therefore, in “going to work” my objective has been to provide the viewer with an experience that helps inform their social position as an art viewer and a citizen of a bigger community.

Using the architecture of the Knock-Knock Gallery I was able to create a unique configuration of hand-made minimalist sculptures that surround the viewer as s/he walks through the gallery’s space to produce an experience.

“I want my work not to make one think first about art, but rather about something related to other work or life experiences… I want to use these forms in my work to make spaces for the movement and endlessness of thinking and to provide time for the movement of reflection.” -Thomas Hirshhorn