Labor Berlin 2: Erick Meyenberg

At first glance it appears to be a 19th century anthropological treatise, but a closer look reveals an ironic analysis of ethnological attempts to neatly classify "race". The springboard for Mexican artist Erick Meyenberg is the standard work "Forjando Patria" (Forging a Homeland) by Manuel Gamio, the father of Mexico’s cultural anthropology. In his work, he conjures up the idea that society is held together by a common cultural identity.

In his sound and light installation, Meyenberg deciphers this “dream Mexican”, whose genome has recently been officially defined. He uses the LED colors red, green and blue, which stand for the indigenous people, blacks, and whites: illuminated at the same time and with the same intensity, they result in a mixed color - white.

The exhibition series Labor Berlin is dedicated to international artists who have selected Berlin as their new home: Erick Meyenberg, born 1980 in Mexico City, was Sol Lewitt’s assistant in 2002, and from 2005 to 2009 was a student of Rebecca Horn at the UdK, Berlin.

Curator: Daniela Wolf

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