LOS CARPINTEROS
SILENCE YOUR EYES

The members of the Cuban artist group Los Carpinteros have been working together since graduating from art school in Havana and live in Cuba and Madrid. The difficult living conditions and lack of resources in Cuba led the artists to use recycled materials as the basic material for their works. In the beginning, this was mainly wood, which they knew how to work with thanks to their craftsmanship, and which led to the name of the artist group: Los Carpinteros (Spanish for “the carpenters”). They now also use other materials such as synthetic resin, metal, and fiberglass. Marco Castillo (born 1971) and Dagoberto Rodríguez (born 1969) create monumental installations and delicate watercolors that primarily question the functionality and use of architecture, furniture, and design objects. Critical, but also ironic, their works often refer to politically and culturally restrictive systems. Through seriality, breaks, and exaggerations, the installations and drawings mutate into extravagant and sensual hybrids that, as suggested by the title Silence Your Eyes, combine seemingly incompatible elements into something new.

The Kunstmuseum Thun is presenting the Cuban artist duo’s first institutional solo exhibition in Switzerland. It is being organized in collaboration with the Kunstverein Hannover. A catalog (d/e/sp) published by Ivorypress will accompany the exhibition.