Pellejo, 2013

Still: Courtesy Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
Still: Courtesy Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
Still: Courtesy Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
Still: Courtesy Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
Still: Courtesy Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
Collection

Single-channel video installation, b/w, sound
11 min


With a practice spanning over twenty-five years, the moniker “Los Carpinteros” emphasizes the duo’s passionate focus on craftsmanship while giving a knowing nod to their uniquely quirky sense of humor. Frequently described as “interrogative art,” Los Carpinteros remain boundless in their use of material and presentation, which can range from drawings to watercolors, objects and furniture models to film. Their works frequently have an acid edge of social and political critique, calling for reflection on objects, society, and history. The duo’s film, Pellejo, focuses on a single sexual act between two characters, once when they are young and again as an elderly couple. The work is an exploration of human existence, aging, corporeality, and repetition – a physical symbol of time passing. Shot in black and white, the film, whose title references the skin on the human body, serves as a commentary on the passage of time in Cuba – a country which has experienced great upheavals, yet remains frozen in time. – Alicia Reuter


Marco Antonio Castillo Valdés: *born 1971 in Camagüey, Cuba | Living and working in La Habana, Cuba and Madrid, Spain
Dagoberto Rodríguez Sánchez: *born 1969 in Caibarien, Cuba | Living and working in La Habana, Cuba and Madrid, Spain