Artist, Luciana Rondolini

MELTING
"Calamidad Cosmica" - artist, Luciana Rondolini

Upon first viewing of the work created by artist, Luciana Rondolini, I smiled. How could one not smile at the larger-than-life popsicles; colorful, impaled with enormous wooden “sticks”- perhaps, sugary-sweet. They melt - their fluid contained in over-sized trays.

Ms. Rondolini has titled the exhibition, “Calamidad Cosmica” (Cosmic Calamity). Suddenly our sweet thoughts are doused with cold water. Colossal, colorful, sweet and icy, the frivolous and cooling summer treats act as metaphors for impending doom. We may choose to think sweet thoughts of the future. However, the future may not be so sweet. And our problems, which once were small, are now larger than life. We may not be able to stop the melting, the oncoming shoreline changes - the destruction. Time moves forward and we are carried along, befuddled or in a state of denial.

This work brings to mind, artist, Claus Oldenburg, known for his colossal sculptural work. We think of “Clothespin” or “Lipstick”, or soft pieces such as his various "Hot Water Bottles". Claus Oldenburg's Pop-Art imagery allows us to see objects as though through a magnifying glass and we are introduced to a new frame of reference, a fresh view of mundane, everyday objects. Ms. Rondollini does much the same thing – at first. Then, we are led away from amusement as meaning takes shape. In time, we are left deflated - and maybe even, worried.

As we sit, comfortably, in our homes, watching television, reading or playing with our technological devices, glaciers are melting - leaking fresh water into our salty oceans.
Artists tell us the truth - visually. They need not write a treatise to illustrate meaning. With these large-scale, seemingly pleasurable "eye-candy" works, Ms. Rondolini has written volumes.

The artist, born in 1976,  lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has received several awards for her work and has exhibited in a number of group shows, with a solo exhibition in 2011. View her full bio (CV), here.

All photographs, courtesy Luciana Rondolini
For more information:
Luciana Rondolini website and Facebook