Eduardo Abaroa, Archaeological Insertion. 2012.

Ruins and Reproduction is an introductory lecture on the practice of new Te Whare Hēra artist in residence Eduardo Abaroa.

Abaroa creates detailed fictions that stimulate reflection on the complex cultural clashes that are constituted through modern society. Working in installation, sculpture and video, Abaroa, who hails from Mexico, investigates anthropology, ethnography and biology, creating reconstructed narratives that highlight existing ideologies, particularly those defining art institutions, the everyday and the nature-culture divide. One of Abaroa’s most noted works, Destrucción total del Museo de Antropología (Total destruction of the National Museum, 2012), describes the hypothetical demolition of one of the most important cultural institutions dedicated to pre-Hispanic art.

Eduardo Abaroa has exhibited work in several major museums in Mexico and North America. These include LA MoCA, PS1, ICA Boston, and CIFO. Abaroa’s work has also been featured in exhibitions at Reina Sofía Museum in Spain, Kunstwerke Germany and other significant venues in the United Kingdom, Canada, France and South Korea. His works have been selected for international biennales in Sao Paolo, Brazil and Korea.

Abaroa is also an established writer, cultural critic and educator. He was one of the co-founders of artist run space Temístocles 44 (1993), and SOMA, a trans-disciplinary artist run school in Mexico City. He directed the 9th International Symposium of Art Theory in Mexico City (SITAC) in 2011. Further, Abaroa has published numerous texts on contemporary art, including the book Ensayos sobre el público and essays in exhibition catalogues on artists working in the Mexican context. His latest book Total Destruction of the Anthropology Museum was published in 2017 by Athenée Press.

During his three-month residency in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Eduardo Abaroa will continue investigating the ideologies behind bio-cultural heritage and the extraction of natural resources. Abaroa will present a solo exhibition from the 4th-19th October at The Engine Room gallery, Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa/Massey University.

For more information on Eduardo Abaroa, please visit Kurimanzutto Gallery.

WITH SUPPORT FROM