Fernando Palma Rodríguezin calli in tlacualli / la casa, la comidaMarchMar 31st - MayMay 7th, 2011Gaga Mexico City

It exists in this land an animal named cóyotl, which some Spaniards call fox, some others wolf, according to its properties to my see, its neither a fox nor a wolf, but an animal of this land. Its hairy of long wool, its tail its long and hairy too, its ears are small and pointy and its snout its long and not thick; it has ribbed legs, curved and black nails and feels a lot, it is demure to hunt and when it wants to attack its pray he first throws its breath against it to infect and discourage it.

This animal is diabolical; if anyone takes it pray from it, he notes it, and waits till he gets his revenge, killing its chickens or other animals in his home if he does not have such where he can avenge, he waits him in the road and starts barking, as if it wanted to devour him, some he gets together with three or four companions to scare him, and they do such both night and day.

Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España, Fray Bernardino de Sahagún

Press release (second draft) Mexico City, April the 5th. SOME CONSIDERATIONS

1- This press release should not continue for the language in which it should be written cannot be translated. In Nahatul neither the verb to be does not exist, nor the word trash or waste. This language and all its words such as Tlan (the earth / the abundance) are in risk of disappearing and together with it a very important way of relate and interact with our environment

2- The Fifth sun, the sun in movement, the sun of our cosmic era, that one of earthquakes. (Ollin Tonatiuh)

3- The machine is supposed to transform or re direct energy. Fernando’s machines are supposed (?) to be seen .The way this machines work is not foreign to the artists as it is to the non initiated, Fernando has put together each of its parts and programmed every movement.

4- There will always be the possibility that the machines won’t work, or that they stop working, this is contemplated; also they could always work better. Then one is forced to explain what they should be doing or how they could be better, but more than anything else the aim of the artist is to humanize the electronic, to discuss it understands.

Gaga is pleased to present in calli in tlacualli from the Mexican artist Fernando Palma Rodriguez. After 11 years of absence in the Mexican scene is for us a true honor to host this exhibition.

Fernando Palma works with machines he develops, builds and programs himself . This artifacts are often activated by the viewer and react and to its movements trough litgth and presence detectors . Having the idea of drawing parallels between Nahuatl , the original language of the community he was born, and that of electronics, Palma feeds with the myths and philosophy of this endangered language his sculptures.

The results are primitive machines that sometimes do not even work properly, a conversation between a family of spoons, a dying horse or a trickster coyote who prays.

Fernando Palma Rodriguez Milpa Alta, Mexico 1959, lives and works in London. He studied, Industrial design in the Politécnico Nacional (77-88) , Mexico city, a BA in Art History in Goldsmiths Collage London (88-91) a Post grade in Art history in the Slade School of Fine Art, (91-93), and Electonics in Twickenham collegue .In 92 he recieved the Rijksakademie grant for programmed based sculpture . His work absent for 11 years in Mexico city was recently shownd in Gaga 2011. Selected group exhibitions include High Hoch Times Zeiten, Wiener Secession, Vienna Austria, 5th inIVA aniversary Royal Collage of Art, London UK, These epic islands Vilma Gold Gallery, London UK, Moving Parts Kunsthaus Graz. Graz, Austria and Tinguely Museu. Basel, Switzerland and Heide Museum of Modern Art Melbourne, Australia.

For videos – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWY_MyZSTnE