THE BASIC SHOW

“No matter what engineering field you’re in, you learn the same basic science and mathematics. And then maybe you learn a little bit about how to apply it.”  — Noam Chomsky

Gathering works in different media, Francis Bejar examines the foundation of becoming an artist; here is an ensemble of paintings, sculptures, and found objects that are used as pieces of evidence to present art as a form of distraction: does it really serve a significant purpose? Or is it more a form of entertainment? Bejar delves in an undertaking that seems both baffling and simple: works that rely on the absence of dominant themes but which succeeds in laying out the basis of methodical ingenuity, which returns to the most basic of concepts like the “what/when/where/how” of an exhibit.

In this show, the basic use of primary colors (Red, Blue, and Yellow) is largely present; this plays a striking contrast against the gallery’s white walls. Meanwhile, the materials used in the sculptures are wood, clay, and, terracotta. But the most prominent display of Bejar’s intention is seized among the colorful crates piled on top of each other, reminding us of how the careers of successful artists like Christo and Jeanne-Claude started: blocking Rue Visconti in Paris with oil barrels stacked similarly — perhaps, for Bejar, this is the foundation of an installation art; found objects simply arranged together. Hence, the artist relies on the process involved in production to emit the idea and the context induced in the images he presented. His paintings and assemblages erase the boundaries of defining basic forms: the object becomes a color and the color becomes an object.

Bejar’s “The Basic Show” is steadfast in its depiction of a world in which transgressive behaviors thrive. We are forced to live in a reality where our primary concepts of morality are turned into the justification of crimes, authoritarian rule, and corruption, blurring our critical minds because of convenient modern-day distractions. And so, Bejar invites us to a carnivalesque display of chaos: an overwhelming view of the multitude of images and processes of art and the artist, which forces us to return to the basics.

Gwen Bautista

July 2018