Caída Libre, 2017

Miami Beach 2019
Caída Libre
Caída Libre
Caída Libre
Caída Libre

kurimanzutto

Installation
Set of 54 falconry perches, digital video
27m

For Miguel Calderón, falcons symbolize a connection between humans and nature, representing an opportunity to understand that which separates us from animals. Calderón’s interest lies not only in birds of prey, but also in the objects associated with falconry: custom artifacts that reflect the heritage of the sport, as well as the history of each bird. The project Caída Libre is composed of a film and a selection of sculptural objects.

Miguel Calderón (born 1971 in Mexico City) explores themes that range from violence and corruption in Mexico, to youth and family dynamics, or the supernatural. Although his work is multifaceted, it is unified by an ever-present sense of theatricality, the macabre, and a touch of the fantastical. His pieces often combine a dark sense of humor with a certain playfulness with his references to music videos, tabloids, and rock music. These influences are absorbed and reconfigured into works that explore deep social and personal territories. For Calderón, it is important that art be accessible: he came of age as an artist in Mexico during the 1990s, and became a key figure in the development of a young alternative art scene in Mexico City, associated with the non-commercial art space he co-founded, La Panadería. In his practice he explores the divide between the rarified world of ‘high art’ and the day-to-day, deftly weaving together mockery, foolishness, social critique, and sincerity of emotion to create artworks that resonate on many levels. Calderón lives and works in Mexico City.

Access the Audio Guide by Magalí Arriola.