Ileana Alarcón
On View March 2024 – June 2024
The window box at vladem contemporary
Ileana Alarcón
American, b. 1993
Madremonte
2024
Cardboard, paper pulp, electronics, rubber, paint, glass.
Influenced by the duality of her Colombian heritage and “gringa” upbringing, Ileana Alarcón’s work incorporates personal life events with Magical Realism to create objects and environments that cultivate a physical or sometimes emotional reaction. Designing objects and spaces that are both grounding and transporting, Ileana seeks to facilitate interactions that uproot her viewers from the mundane.
Madremonte extends Alarcón’s practice to explore the world’s current relationship with a deity of the same name. Known as the Colombian version of Mother Nature, Madremonte resides in the mountains and is the protector of earth. Clad in moss and leaves from the dense Colombian jungle, Madremonte punishes those who harm animals and haunts those who steal others’ land. Although she would never physically harm a human, Madremonte has been known to flood the land with storms and punish mischief-makers by placing insurmountable obstacles in their path when they walk through the jungle.
Alarcón’s Madremonte depicts an angered observer gazing out over a tropical dominion crafted from materials that are slated for the landfill. Paper pulp, broken electronics, discarded textiles, rubber, and wood scraps call attention to unethical mining practices, deforestation, labor exploitation, and planned obsolescence. The resulting fantastical scenery is bathed in sinister red undertones of Madremonte’s gaze, drawing attention to the abuse of tropical and subtropical habitats and the living beings that aid in over-production of goods. The reflections from the windows and mirrors in this tableau offer the opportunity for the viewer to consider the role they play in this destructive cycle.
You can see more of Ileana’s work on her website: https://www.ileanaalarcon.com/
Find out how to support the fight against climate change here: https://www.ileanaalarcon.com/madremonteclimatelinks
April 26 @ 4 PM: Ileana Alarcón Window Box Workshop Day 1: Paper Pulp Creatures for Madremonte
Join Ileana Alarcón, a Santa Fe Vital Spaces Artist, in making a collection of small creatures to add to her Window Box installation, Madremonte.
Event details here: https://www.nmartmuseum.org/events/final-friday-ileana-alarca%c2%b3n-window-box-workshop-day-01-paper-pulp-creatures-for-madremonte/
May 10 @ 4 PM: Ileana Alarcón Window Box Workshop Day 2: Painting Creatures for Madremonte
Please join Ileana Alarcón, a Santa Fe Vital Spaces Artist, in making a collection of small creatures to add to her Window Box installation, Madremonte.
Event details here: https://www.nmartmuseum.org/events/ileana-alarca%c2%b3n-window-box-workshop-day-02-painting-creatures-for-madremonte/
The inaugural year of the Window Box Project is a collaboration with the Santa Fe-based collective Vital Spaces, an incubator for the city’s undiscovered emerging artists. For more information on Vital Spaces and the artist they represent, see their website: https://www.vitalspaces.org