Christian Wedel
Christian Wedel (b. 1985)
Piedra de Río
2024
Oil on canvas
51 x 55 inches
“I observe the transference of qualities between inert matter, plants and human bodies that takes place in the density of the tropics. Through these observations I’ve been led to construct micro-narratives about interspecies relationships. I narrate these stories through charcoal drawing, pencil illustration, oil painting, ceramics, and found object sculpture.
In my process, every element calls back on curiosity and mimesis of each other: paint begins to resemble charcoal, charcoal to resemble ceramic, ceramic to the shapes of plants.
This restlessness of form manifests a desire for closeness to the other; a desire to merge, to inhabit—at least for a second—a foreign body to make it feel like home. My work deals with the yearning for proximity and hospitality between material and life; of being intimately intertwined. I find myself exploring alternatives to inhabit our bodies, desires and new worlds through science fiction.”
—Christian Wedel
/ About the Artist
Christian Wedel (San José, Costa Rica, 1985) is an artist who works from the immensity and density of tropical ecosystems. Observing the relationships of interpenetration and entanglement between plants, humans, and materials, Christian tries out worlds of intimacy and hospitality that are alternatives to the humanist or anthropocentric paradigm. His series Livable Worlds, Tropical Futurology, The plant as a form, and A town for plant people, feature drawing, ceramics, fanzine, painting and sculpture with found objects.
Wedel’s work is championed by institutions like the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica (CCE), the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design of Costa Rica (MADC) and the Museum of Costa Rican Art (MAC). In 2021, he participated in the residence and exhibition "Next Season: Art and science in the face of the climate future," promoted by the Climate Change Directorate (DDC) of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) in Costa Rica. His practice is inspired and nourished by science fiction and mythology which open up possibilities of interspecies relationships.
Christian Wedel (b. 1985)
Primera Lluvia
2024
Oil on canvas
25.5 x 27.5 inches
