ARTIST PENSION TRUST / APT

LINK:
http://www.aptglobal.org/view/artist.asp?ID=7412

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Alejandro Fournier was born in Guadalajara, México. He works with the symbols of social phenomena and the construction of space-time. His work involves the observation of different foreign groups in México and elswhere, such as the inhabitants of Mexcaltitán island in Michoacán.

By observing Italian communities in Chipilo, Puebla through the Union Western project, Fournier examines the presuppositions of modernity with research carried out in the Mennonite communities of central and northern Mexico. More than being a study in anthropology, his project is comprised of universal observations of obsolete technologies, the importation of lifestyles, and the relationship between center and periphery. Modernity, which puts its faith in a better world through the progress obtained by science and technology, sees history as a linear succession of events and has been proven to be a failure in underdeveloped countries such as México.

His most recent piece of public art, Ta_patio, is composed of 2000 mosaic pieces, spanning one hundred meters. The piece was designed to be walked on; to be on top of. A dollar sign is formed by arranging inexpensive tiles, pointing to the privatization of the urban landscape and its subsequent commercialization. Simultaneously it allows this symbol to be walked on, to become part of the public landscape: the city’s courtyard.

His projects have won various awards and have been shown in biennials and festivals of contemporary art in México, and elsewhere. Since 2003, he has worked collaboratively with Javier Cárdenas Tavizon and Santino Escatel as part of the Sector Reforma project, as well as through his alter-ego, Joe From Wisconsin.