Marco Maggi

Written by Artfronts Staff on .

07A MM V1Intricate Paper-Cut Works by Marco Maggi

 Marco Maggi (Montevideo, Uruguay, 1957) is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz of the Hudson Valley in New York where he majored in printmaking. A contemporary Uruguayan artist of international acclaim, Maggi splits his time between New York and Uruguay. Despite the distance, Maggi’s works are not forgotten in his homeland as they continue to feature in prestigious solo and group shows in Uruguay, including his 2016 National Museum of Visual Arts (MNAV) solo review and the recent 2018 EsteArte Fair in Punta del Este. Maggi is also a former winner of the 2012 Premio Figari and a Uruguayan representative in the 2015 Biennale of Venice where he covered an entire room with his mini cutouts, lines and forms in high key white on white.

03 Maggi vertical

 
Perhaps distance from the Uruguayan art scene explains the decidedly global signature in Maggi’s seminal paper works. They are clean, sharp and precise as they tackle modern themes such as information overload and big data. His works do not rely on the worn materials, Latin American symbolism, bohemian motifs and warm palette that remains very popular throughout the Southern Cone.

Clearly the high-art graphic influences of New York and Europe are evident throughout Maggi's body of work, whether intentional or not. The presentation may appear minimalist in tone from a distance but the detailed content and exquisite compositions are anything but.

06B maggi wall detail

02 Maggi pair 1

05 MM arco

Maggi works primarily in intricate small scale. His solo shows are also renowned for large, site-specific installations featuring the same paper elements and objects that define his smaller works, instead presented on supersized platforms, entire walls and sprawling floors. Boxes, etching, slide cases and ready-made items are frequently integrated into specific series as well.

Dominant colors in Maggi’s work remains white and black. He also utilizes primary reds, blues and yellows. Spectacular paper surfaces feature multi-dimensional cutouts, folds, crevices and penciled lines. Shadows and markings push the eye throughout multiple focal points from node to node. The closer you get, the more you see.

Maggi forces the viewer to slow down and lean in to absorb the magnitude of his overwhelming expressions. I suggest alternating between closeup and overall views to fully grasp the trails, layers and compositional challenges created.

06A Maggi box

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091 MM yellow A

 

092 MM yellow B

 

093 MM yellow C

 

099 Stacking Quotes Warhol

 Maggi’s paperworks present an interesting study of formal relationships in light of the chaos of data overload combined with society’s attempts to absorb and relate information. For us, it serves as superb example of an analog, hand-crafted depiction of a digital theme.

01 Maggi Venice detail

Detail from Maggi installation @ Venice Biennale, 2015

04 Maggi story header

 

Video walk-through with Marco Maggi

If video doesn't appear, you can view it on Youtube @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KyaMYk-TH4

 

Info

https://www.artsy.net/artist/marco-maggi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Maggi

http://www.joseebienvenugallery.com/artists/marco-maggi

http://www.sicardi.com/artists/marco-maggi

http://abstractioninaction.com/artists/marco-maggi/#

 

Copyrights for all images are the property of the artist and his representatives.

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