Julie Mehretu: Sextant

The exhibition presents new large-scale paintings and etchings by the artist  Julie Mehretu. For her new works, the artist takes as starting points news photographies, which portray recent and crucial socio-political junctures. After a process of manipulation and obscuration with Photoshop, the image is airbrushed on the canvas as an abstract departure point. Mehretu then builds the painting, working on layers with different materials and techniques, while the initial image becomes just a blurred background. Another series of large-scale prints displayed are inspired by the artist’s visit to Mogao caves, in China. These works are structured on layers too, with the juxtaposition of marks and lines, which recall mid-century abstraction.