Untethered: Our Journey Beyond Borders by Roberto Torres Mata
April 6 – May 14
Our Kind of Happy Hour with Roberto Torres Mata: Wednesday, April 28, 6pm online
Location: Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Avenue, Madison, WI
Untethered: Our Journey Beyond Borders by Roberto Torres Mata is a printmaking and installation art exhibition where visitors will be led on a journey through the exhibition space, guided by a path of migrating birds. Archaic symbols impressed into handmade paper evoke indigenous cultures of the Americas, while the words of migrants themselves are recorded on linen sheets suspended from the gallery ceiling—a piece made in collaboration with Argentinian artist Dani Zelko.
While specializing in printmaking, Mata’s practice encompasses a number of media, including relief woodblock printing, wood carving, and papermaking. He sees his artworks as a metaphor for both human and animal migration. In the materiality of his artwork, he intends to evoke the physical realities of migration. Mata aims to raise awareness of migration and destroy divisive barriers in order to promote compassion and humanity.
Awarded to one graduating MFA candidate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Russell and Paula Panczenko MFA Prize is offered annually by the Chazen Museum of Art in collaboration with the UW-Madison Art Department. The winner, who receives an honorarium along with an exhibition at the Chazen, is selected by an outside juror; this year’s juror was Shannon R. Stratton, Executive Director of the Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency in Saugatuck, Michigan.