Mid-Career Artist Grant
Fredy Alzate has recently become interested in configuring dystopian narratives from specific geographic or political contexts to challenge the contradictions exposed in Latin American cities. He tries to set up symbolic dimensions of the urban landscape to refer to threatened nature, climate change and rampant urbanism. Alzate is also inclined to develop installations that activate the notions of stridency and emptiness, stability and vertigo, structure and delirium, density and hollow. All of them attempting to awake tension in man's relationship with nature.
Alzate works mainly in sculpting and painting, but sometimes his projects are developed in digital animation or photography. He holds a BFA in Visual Arts from the University of Antioquia, as well as a Masters in Visual Arts from the National University in Bogotá. Since 1998 he has been exhibited individually and collectively. Among other distinctions he has obtained there are of particular note the following works and awards; ‘The First Prize in the 19th Hall Arthur and Rebecca Rabinovich’, MAMM in 1999. The nomination to ‘The 7th Prize Luis Caballero’, Bogotá in 2012. The scholarship for artistic residence at the Maison des Arts Georges Pompidou in Cajac, France in 2013. He has also stood out for his collective exhibition ‘Committed Artists? Perhaps’, in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal. ‘Pangea: New Art from Africa and Latin America’, Saatchi Gallery, London, England, 2017. And Open ART, Örebro, Sweden, 2017.
Photo courtesy of the artist
A Look Inside:
Born │
Rionegro, Colombia, 1975. (Lives and works in Medellín, Colombia).
Education│
Master of Fine and Visual Arts, National University of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia (2006). | Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia (2000).
Awards│
CIFO Grants & Commissions Program 2017 (Mid-Career Artist Award). Florida, Estados Unidos | Art Residency, Maison des Arts Georges Pompidou. Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France (2013). | "Quinta Fachada" [Fifth Facade]: Nominated VII Luis Caballero Award, Bogotá Mayor’s Office. Bogotá, Colombia (2012). | Aluvión. Beca de Creación, Alcaldía de Medellín. Parque Biblioteca de Belén. Medellín, Colombia (2012). | 2Honorable Mention, 2nd Bogota Fine and Visual Arts Biennial Prize, Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation. Bogotá, Colombia (2012). | Mild Architectures, Creation Grant: Support for postgraduate thesis, National University. Bogotá, Colombia (2006). | XIX Salón Arturo y Rebeca Rabinovich. Museo de Arte Moderno. Medellin, Colombia (1999). | Internship, Castilla La Mancha University. Cuenca, Spain (1998).
Selected Exhibitions │
Solo Exhibitions:
"Territorios Inciertos" [Uncertain Territories]. (Solo). Fredy Alzate Projects, Suramericana Hall of Art. Medellín, Colombia (2016). | "Horro Vacui" [Void Horror]. De la Oficina Gallery. Medellín, Colombia (2015). | Quinta fachada [Fifth Facade]. VII Luis Caballero’s Award, Leopoldo Rother Museum. Bogotá, Colombia (2013). | "Aluvión" [Alluvium]. Art’s Creation Scholarship, Medellin’s Town Hall. Belen’s Library Park. Medellín, Colombia (2012). | "Lugares en Fuga" [Vanishing Places]. De la Oficina Gallery. Medellin, Colombia (2011). | "Adosado" [Detached]. Tres Patios Gallery. Medellin, Colombia (2008). | "Leve" [Light]. Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation. Bogotá, Colombia (2007). | "Algo en Común" [Something in Common]. Museum of Modern Art of Medellin (MAMM). Medellín, Colombia (2000).
Group Exhibitions:
Open ART 2017. Örebro, Sweden (2017). | "Zonas Grises: matices de la urbe en la era de lo global" [Gray Areas: nuances of the city in the era of the global]. Centro León, Santiago de Los Caballeros, República Dominicana – Museum of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia (2016). | "AÚN", 44th National Hall of Artists. Pereira, Colombia (2016). | "La Vorágine". OMR Gallery. México D.F, México (2015). | "Remanentes" [Remnants]. Intervention: Rebecca and Arthur Halls. Museum of Modern Art of Medellin (MAMM). Medellín, Colombia (2015). | Solo Show. SWAB Barcelona Art Fair. Galería de la Oficina. Barcelona, Spain (2015). | "Contraexpediciones" [Counterexpeditions], Museum of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia (2014). | "¿Artistas Comprometidos? Tal vez" Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Lisbon, Portugal (2014). | "Pangaea: new art from africa and latin America". Saatchi Gallery, Londres (2014). | "Coordinates: History of Installation in Antioquia", Museum of Modern Art of Medellin (MAMM). Medellín, Colombia (2013). | "Saber- desconocer". 43 Salón (Inter) Nacional de Artistas. Medellín, Colombia (2013). | Domino - Domino bis. Église des Cordeliers. Gourdon, France (2013). | Parcours d’art contemporain en Vallét du lot. Maison des arts Georges Pompidou, Centre d’art contemporanné. Cajarc, France. (2013).
