“An artist's knowledge of his/her body, of his/her face, is the beginning of a biographical construction of the same. Contemporary art largely focuses on these physical biographies, and perhaps photography has charted an even easier way for the artist speak of him or herself”.

Rosa Olivares, Everything about myself, Exit Book No. 11, Madrid, 2009.

 

The prominent insertion of arts into contemporary society is ever more frequent. As such, this represents an appropriate time to present the exhibition Plastics by photographer Hans Stoll. This project constitutes a visual document that includes more than 20 artists, all of which are portrayed in the privacy of their workshops with the intention of discovering their personalities, and finding a creative or biographical origin in their works.

Since ancient times, the image of the creator has been considered special, and the study of his work intrinsically linked to his/her life. Stories from family and friends, interviews, memoirs, and first-person narratives are literary means which are considered especially useful for understanding the artist and his/her work. Similarly, in the field of visual arts, the portrait and self-portrait have become the primary studies for the understanding of their work, and essential reference points for the History of Art.

Certain contemporary art conditions involve the imminent presence of the text next to the work, in order to review, contextualize, and quote the same. But above all, the text treatises the imposing figure of the artist, of the author, and of the creator; the one who has the license to do, redo and undo. And it is in this central figure that Stoll focuses. The photographer positions himself in the artist's spaces of creation, then investigates and explores the creative dynamic and work processes, and inspects the details. At his own pace, the photographer waits, watches, accommodates. The lighting is arranged, and that portrayed is revealed. The artist's corporeality visually materializes, via which we find a starting point in order to interpret suggestions of biographical and artistic information. The body of the creator - from the character that occupies a particular place in society - is presented per se, as a subject in all its expressive and communicative ability.

Plastics is a valuable documentary series that constitutes a part of a larger project, which is in the throes of production, undertaken by Hans Stoll. The project portrays the leading exponents of Lima's artistic creation. As Baldomero Pestana and Jose Lima Casals did in the second half of the fifties, leading representatives of the visual and performing arts, music and literature scenes figure in this work, which is relevant to helping preserve the cultural memory of our society.

Exhibition held at the Peruvian-North American Culture Centre (Lima).