ABOUT MANUEL ESNOZ 

Manuel Esnoz was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1974. He started showing his work in the early 90’s, while participating in a scholarship program founded by Guillermo Kuitca. Over the years some procedures became constants in his production. Appropriations and extractions, such as those of using and mixing “connect the dots” games, Ben Day dots, halftones etc. Deconstruction and reconstruction, divisionism, in sum, the conversion of a source material into particles organised and arranged in the surface of a canvas.

The sources were in almost every case found images that existed and functioned in the real world, like:  magazines, advertising images from billboards and magazines, newspaper images, etc. The question of painting and representation was present since the beginning. In Esnoz’s works translation is important. Division is form of research and exploration; deconstruction is form of information and learning. The separation of a particle for the sole purpose of contemplating its composition or shape and its role in the whole, is a drive. These ideas are a departure point for his current production, where materialism and materials play an important roll. Starting with the 2018 New York show at Kravets/Wehby Gallery named “Painting for Robots”, Esnoz incorporated materials such as glitter or plastic gems and procedures such as pointillism that feature aleatory and random ways of disposition and organisation, presenting a personal and intuitive idea of difference and emergency. Difference that manifests itself as a question of what’s fake and what’s real, emergency as a result of the process of accumulation.

Later on a new as cast member was added into his repertoire: “painting” (pictures) as an actor; extracting or appropriating from them characters or elements with performativity. The starting point of one of his recent paintings could be a random pick from a Cezanne work for example, the “three bathers”, in which for him those three bathers are objects, and what he would do with them is to dilute them, dissolve them, disassemble them, divide them, to turn them into brush strokes, tiles, points, pixels, etc. Smaller objects, new order. A grid that breaks down. The grid is a common reference in his work, having used it in many paintings as both an instruments to produce an image or as an element in a composition. The intention is to problematise, work, play and inform with the idea of dissolution. This dissolution may come as question of “value” that contrasts the true reflection of light from glitter to a fake representation of light that comes from the practice of painting, putting established hierarchies are at risk. Dissolution also comes into play when objects in the painting or their movement, alter either a static or dynamic order, and pose the question whether these pieces are here to reconstruct the image or to deform it forever. Esnoz exposes an ambitious plan of deforming or reformulating taste and value. Manuel Esnoz, has been showing his work since 1993 to the present day, participating in group exhibitions and solo exhibitions and art fairs in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France. Currently he lives and work in New York, USA.

b. 1974, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Lives and works in Madrid, ES

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Solo exhibitions

2021 “Across the River and into the trees” kravets/wehby gallery New York, NY. USA.

2018 “Painting for Robots”, kravets/wehby galleryNew York, NY. USA.

2013 “History of porn” Jakob Karpio gallery. San Jose, Costa rica.

2012 "Boy toy” have a window, artists space.Turin, Italy,

2012 - 2011 Geometriasexpositive", Dabbah Torrejon arte canteporaneo. uenos Aires, Argentina

2010 “Farewell mon pasticheur,” Kravets/Wehby gallery,New York, NY.USA

2009 “Galaxia”, Artcore gallery,Toronto, Canada.

2007 “A pedazos” Dabbah Torrejón arte contemporaneo Buenos Aires, Argentina.

2006 Sobre cubos de carbon”, Jacobo Karpio galería,San José, costa rica.

2005 “existing life in the surrounding area” Kravets/Wehby gallery,New York, NY. USA

2004 “Muaré.” galería luis fernando pradilla, madrid, españa.

2003 “Juego de partes”. dabbah torrejón arte contemporaneo. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

2002 “Hallway” Kravets/Wehby gallery, New York, NY. USA

2001“Portraits” galería thomas cohn, San Paulo, Brazil

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Group exhibitions

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2023 Alexia Werrie Gallery, Belgium

2021 Alexia Werrie Gallery, Belgium

2020 “Rosa y Negro. Lo Erótico, lo pornográfico y lo escatológico en la estética contemporánea” MAMAN fine art galleryMiami, USA

2019“Untitled”, Kravets Wehby Gallery.New York, NY. USA

2017 “El argentino ilustre”, Galeria Fernando Pradilla. Madrid, Spain

2017 Gran formato, pintura 90’s” Galeria Jacob Karpio,.Bogota, Colombia.

2016 “Aftermodernism” , Neumann Wolfson art. Watermill,NY. USA“Block Party” Kravets Wehby Gallery.New York, NY. USA

2016 “Bosquejar,esbozar,Proyectar” curated by Santiago Bengolea and Javier Aparicio. Galeria Quimera Buenos aires, Argentina.

2014 Arte y diseño , MAMBA museo de arte moderno de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina

2013 30 años. Galeria Jakob Karpio” Jacob Karpio gallery.San Jose. Costa Rica.