Carlos Amorales: ‘The Piece Shows A Moment of Unrest in the World‘

Carlos Amorales is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the limits of language and translation systems to venture into the field of cultural experimentation. He uses graphic production as a tool to develop linguistic structures and alternative working models that allow new forms of interpretation and foster collectivity.

Ghost Demonstration draws from the multiple histories of mural art in Mexico, which is related to political demonstrations and protests. In order to make this monumental mural, the artist used stencils of slogans from protest posters as well as fragments from songs. These stencils were held up by assistants, whose silhouetted figures are imprinted along the wall. The ghostly outlines of the human figure point to historically significant moments in various times and diverse cultures, while reinforcing the importance of remaining socially and politically engaged in the present, as many of the slogans resonate with the current cultural climate.

Carlos Amorales (born 1970; lives and works in Mexico City) studied in Amsterdam at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in 1995. He has exhibited in art institutions like MUAC and Tamayo Museum in Mexico, Philadelphia Art Museum and BAMPFA in USA, and represented Holland and Mexico at the Venice Biennial in 2003 and 2017. His work is part of museum collections such as Tate Modern, MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum and Boijmans van Beuningen. From November 2019 Amorales will present a solo at Stedeljk Museum in Amsterdam.

Presented by Nils Staerk, part of LIVE.