Approaches

FROM CIFRA: One artist in this selection crafts melodies with floating magnetic needles, another breathes life into Andean myths through intricate computer programming, while a third transforms tangerine peels into narratives about rituals. Curated by Mariano Sardon, these works offer a captivating glimpse into the tools, intentions, and innovative processes that define the world of media art. FROM MARIANO SARDON: In “Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters,” David Hockney offers a meticulous investigation into the processes behind some of the most significant artworks in history. Rather than merely tracing stylistic developments, Hockney focuses on the practical methodologies and technical strategies artists employed across different periods. His research moves beyond conventional art historical narratives, prioritizing material and procedural aspects of artistic production. In doing so, Hockney gives agency to the artists, revealing practices deeply embedded in both contemporary knowledge and inherited traditions. Inspired by Hockney’s emphasis on process, the selection of 10 artists for the CIFRA platform seeks not only to exhibit works but also to foreground the stories, processes, and personal histories that inform each artist’s interdisciplinary practice. The aim is to create opportunities for the audience to learn from these creators, not just through the outcomes of their labor but by encountering the complexities of their artistic journeys. I have named this selection “Approaches,” through which I engaged directly with the artists, dialoguing in depth about their works, motivations, and creative methodologies. The intention is to showcase pieces that traverses not only the work itself but also the inner worlds, imaginings, material exploration and conceptual frameworks that underpin these practices. Having in mind David Hockney’s investigations into art history underscore moments of profound transformation catalyzed by the technologies of their respective epochs. His research traced how innovations in tools and perspectives sparked epistemological shifts, fundamentally altering the way artists represented the world and, consequently, how viewers perceived it. These moments of heightened awareness, embedded at the core of artistic processes, redefined our way to perceive the world. The work of the artists featured in this series can be followed in a parallel way as Hockney’s approaches does. Their explorations of emergent technologies, conceptual frameworks, and diverse materials challenge the way we conceive the world today. Due to their work, we are invited to reconsider our perspectives, proposing questions about our existence, cultural biases, myths, and the ways we inhabit both nature and the cosmos. In doing so, these works prompt us to reimagine our relationship with the world, opening space for new modes of thought, engagement, and being.