Last week in Mexico City, Galeria Furiosa participated in ZsÓNA MACO, presenting a solo booth of work by the artist Charlie Nesi. Entitled “Homage,” the works on view showcased the artist’s perspective on his practice, consistently using mediums and design to pay tribute to different parts of his life. Whether it is collecting steel from his home streets of Long Island, NY, or finding scraps on a corner in Mexico, Nesi finds the potential in all.
“I want my work to feel both opulent and raw—existing in harmony. By juxtaposing discarded materials with ones more traditionally regarded as beautiful, the overlooked are given a new lease on life,” the artist has said.
In Mexico City, his work was not confined to in ZsÓNA MACO, either, instead on view across at the Mondrian Hotel and Casa Wynwood. Inspired heavily by architecture, Nesi uses an array of materials to find balance between tradition and modern design. His work brings us on a journey of beauty found in the decay of materials.
Whitewall spoke with the artist about “Homage” during the fair, where works like Skyscrapers, It Was All A Dream, Long Island Sound, and more were on view.
Charlie Nesi Finds New Life in Urban Materials
Photo by Karla Laviada, courtesy of Charlie Nesi.
Photo by Karla Laviada, courtesy of Charlie Nesi.
“I’d never done architecture before. But when I came down to this work, when I came to Mexico, I wanted to create something that was resembling of what I was seeing around me, not just what was hanging on a wall. And you know, Mexico, like any other country, you can find concrete, you can find metal on the ground, you can find it anywhere. When you take it out of context and you put it into a home, into a gallery, it gives it a new life.
We have a tendency when something becomes old, it becomes decayed, we want to throw it away. We want the next shiny thing. But when you put the decayed old piece next to the shiny part, you actually end up focusing more on the old. So it gives it a new lease on life for me. It’s kind of like how Basquiat used to cross out words. You would look at the word that was crossed out more. That was the start of this with these concrete works.”
“It gives it a new lease on life for me,” —Charlie Nesi
Exploring New Materials Like Leather
Photo by Karla Laviada, courtesy of Charlie Nesi.
Photo by Karla Laviada, courtesy of Charlie Nesi.
“I used a leather tannery. It’s actually the same one that Hérmes uses in Mexico. And what I wanted to do was take pieces that you would rip up and we would ordinarily throw away. If this was a couch and it was ripped, nobody would want to sit on it. But now when you put it around a polished steel frame, it draws you into the decay, to the old and it makes you pay respect to the life cycle.” —Charlie Nesi
Charlie Nesi’s Homage to Women and Mexico and Long Island
Photo by Karla Laviada, courtesy of Charlie Nesi.
Photo by Karla Laviada, courtesy of Charlie Nesi.
“The show’s called, “Homage” and I’ve been in Mexico for 10 years now. I wanted to pay respects to the thing that’s inspired me. I didn’t go to art school. I worked in fashion. I was obsessed with architecture. I was obsessed with design and these are the things that molded my style and so
The term “homage” for me pays respects to different parts of my life. There were three different women that really inspired me. My mother, she passed away last year, and so I made this piece for her. This is my creator. This piece was for a woman I really love. She was the love of my life. And this was for all the other women that were involved in the trajectory.
“This piece over here is called Long Island Sound. I grew up in Long Island so all the homage is the things that shaped me to get from where I started to where I am now.” —Charlie Nesi
