Juan Fernando Herrán. Materialities and Constellations
Over the last thirty years, Juan Fernando Herrán has developed his artistic practice through extensive fieldwork, frequently accompanied by a camera and his notebooks. Additionally, he has anchored his work in historical, sociological, and anthropological research. The transformation of materials, as well as the construction of images and structures, are rooted in the practices of other human beings in their quest for practical solutions and symbolic meaning.
Curated by Juan Fernando Herrán
Juan Fernando Herrán. Materialities and Constellations, a retrospective exhibition, showcases a selection of works from the late 1990s to the present, including earlier pieces that share illuminating plastic and thematic interests. A significant number of the works were conceived and elaborated during the artist’s prolonged stays in Medellín, initially following an invitation to participate in MDE11 (Encuentro Internacional de Medellín), which brought him closer to the city’s social and urban complexity. This exhibition also presents sketches, photographic records, drawings, and models that allude to the various stages of the artistic process, which culminate in photographs, sculptures, and videos. Despite their completion, these Works possess a non-finite character as they remain in an intermediate and inconclusive state between the initial reference and the final work. Each of the works suggests questions that reveal human, socio-political, and economic conditions and needs, as well as spiritual and existential realities.
A notable outcome of these processes is the creation of works related to each other based on shared motivations, themes, or interests; creation which sometimes occurs in a concurrent, successive, or convergent manner. These works allow for the configuration of «constellations» that illuminate the intricate layers of the realities explored by the artist and unveil the diverse material and conceptual perspectives employed.
The works and constellations in the different galleries are interconnected by three axes. Firstly, the concept of power is approached by Herrán in a range of expressions encompassing the power of social and political domination, the constructive power of human beings in their daily lives, and the deconstructive power with a spirit of discovery and criticism on the part of the artist. Secondly, historical processes are unfolded by bringing to light sedimented layers of the past to illuminate present situations and glimpse possible futures. Thirdly, the axis of social and cultural practices in which the life-death drive is confronted. In these works the capacity of matter and structures to communicate both survival strategies and the construction of imaginaries and meanings is made evident.
By engaging with the artworks, the audience can recreate images that communicate the referents and their practical aspects, social conditioning, and symbolic and existential dimensions in an illuminating and convergent way.
Juan Fernando Herrán. Materialities and Constellations emerges from a collaborative effort between Banco de la República and MAMM. In Medellín, the project includes an exhibition at MAMM and an intervention in the public space of a version of the work Héroes mil in the Centro Cultural del Banco de la República, located on Colombia Avenue in the city center. Following its presentation in Medellín, the exhibition will be hosted by the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia in Bogotá in September 2025.
Coordination: Ana Ruiz Valencia
Special thanks: Museo de Arte – Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Acknowledgements: Oficina de Proyectos
Exhibition venues
MAMM
March 12, 2025 – June 15, 2025
Centro Cultural de Medellín – Banco de la República
March 12, 2025 – September 18, 2025
Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU) – Bogotá
September 18, 2025 – March 2, 2026
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