KAYODE OJO

On the ground floor, Kayode Ojo presents a critical perspective on consumption and luxury aesthetics through his sculptures, while Juana Subercaseaux delves into the intricacies of human identity with her oil paintings, reflecting the influence of the natural environment.

Kayode Ojo, originally from Cookeville, Tennessee, and based in New York, merges various influences, from the expressionist architecture of Paul Rudolph to the readymades of Haim Steinbach and Marcel Duchamp, the polished steel aesthetic of Jeff Koons, and the paradoxes of Cady Noland. His work challenges conventional notions of value and functionality by transforming a variety of objects, from fast-fashion products to Amazon items and personal belongings, into sculptures that explore contemporary consumer culture, the obsession with luxury, and the pursuit of status.

In Me estás poniendo nervioso, his debut exhibition at OMR, Ojo offers a critical perspective on the complexities of contemporary society, particularly American stereotypes and prejudices about Mexico. This exploration focuses on issues such as drug culture, machismo, gender violence, racism, and media sensationalism, addressing social reality from a personal and occasionally self-referential standpoint. These themes are reflected in his work, through a formalist approach, to create a new series of sculptures inspired by Mexican modernism.

Meticulously crafted from clear and glossy surfaces, the sculptures captivate the viewer and become performative acts: they pose like a product on a shelf, demand to be photographed, serve as objects of desire, and intertwine personal and collective narratives.