Random Institute is a testing ground for new exhibition formats and random ideas.
About
Random Institute is an extension of what a contemporary art institution can be, that is to say, truly unbothered by rules and bureaucracy.
From 2016 until 2019, Random Institute ran the curatorial program of the international contemporary art center Despacio in San José, Costa Rica.
From 2016 until 2019, Random Institute ran the curatorial program of the international contemporary art center Despacio in San José, Costa Rica.
People behind
Random Institute is directed by and brings together curatorial and publishing activities of the co-founders Sandino Scheidegger and Luca Müller.
This site was coded by Sarvesh Dwivedi and Emmanouil Zoumpoulakis and designed by Sandino Scheidegger.
This site was coded by Sarvesh Dwivedi and Emmanouil Zoumpoulakis and designed by Sandino Scheidegger.
Art World Killer Game
Untold Stories
Happened in February 2018
Solo Yo (In Focus)
For the most part, color guides us through complex worlds and shapes our understanding of them. When it comes to skin, however, humanity often falters, seeing everything in black and white — through different shades of prejudice.
ThoughtsThoughts
Armed with a stencil and rays of intense tropical sun, Javier Calvo marked his chest with a sunburnt likeness of Central America. As he places a finger on Costa Rica, he briefly lightens the part of skin he has touched, alluding to the increasingly common practice of skin bleaching, or “whitening,” taking place in Latin America.
Learn more about Calvo on Instagram, on the web or contact him by email.
Javier Calvo was born in 1981 in San José, Costa Rica where he lives and works. He has had solo shows at MADC Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo de Costa Rica (San José), Galería Nacional (San José), Kiosko Galería (Santa Cruz de la Sierra), and Réunion (San José). His works have been on display at LAXART (Los Angeles), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Sies + Höke (Düsseldorf), Despacio (San José), Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam (Havana), Teor/éTica (San José), Bienal de Curitiba (Curitiba), Bienal de Pontevedra (Pontevedra), Central American Biennial (Limón), and Bienal Internacional de Asunción (Asunción). He won the Salón Nacional art prize at the Museo de Arte Costarricense and the National Award J. Aquileo Echeverrí.
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This piece is presented as part of In Focus, a monthly series showcasing new video art that caught our eyes, made us think, or that we simply couldn’t forget.
Solo Yo will also be on display at the Latin America overview show at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris) opening in February 2018.
Solo Yo, 2016
Javier Calvo
Video, 4:52 min
Edition of 5
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