Migratium by Nora Kimelman
Nora Kimelman @ MNAV
Nora Kimelman investigates human migration as a pivotal yet painful time of our lives in her solo exhibition at the National Museum of Visual Arts, open now and running until the 20th of October in the venerable Parque Rodo institution.
This is not the first time Kimelman has used her wooden constructions and mixed media sculptures as vehicles to revisit past memories, ancestry and the plight of those who built new nations throughout the world, often against their will. In this case, many of the constructions are actually vehicles. Boats, detailed vessel depictions and building tools are transformed with a combination of raw grit and sensitive acknowledgment of the fight, the losses, the trials and tribulations juxtaposed against the hopes and dreams of some migrants.
Kimelman says, “The history of humanity is the history of migration.” This of course is especially true for those of us in the Western Hemisphere who, save for a few diminishing indigenous groups, are predominantly offspring of immigrants whose ancestors made those voyages over land and sea centuries or decades ago. What the artist depicts is not so much the adventures and challenges, rather the fears of the unknown, the isolation, the struggles of adaptation, blurred or even threatened cultural bonds and the longing for what many left behind. As a migrant myself who has lived most of my life as a minority in foreign lands, Kimelman’s sentimental veracity is compelling and undeniable.
Some dream of starting new and better lives. Nevertheless, all migration isn’t desired. Many flee wars, poverty, crime or religious persecution. Millions are pushed out against their will. In Kimelman’s work, there are no families in their favorite Sunday clothing waving hello or goodbye to relatives and friends as they arrive or embark. What you see are representative sacks void of the humanity they represent, cramped confines, mechanical processes sucking at our roots and individual references. I see reluctant resignation. Compounding the issue, some are not accepted and in fact are turned back after their mission. Many of the works, as physical objects, are brilliantly twisted, confused and distorted. Such were the thoughts of many during ominous journeys to elsewhere while weighed by the uncertainty of one-way tickets.
Despite the fine craftsmanship of Nora Kimelman’s works — especially noticeable when expertly displayed with MNAV’s trademark focused lighting — for some it may be easy to see the beauty yet overlook the pain. On careful observation, one begins to unravel the compassion, empathy and her call for all of us to do better.
Kimelman was graduated from IENBA (National Institute of Fine Arts of the University of the Republica in Montevideo, Uruguay.) She was a student of Javier Alonso, Angelo Hernández and Ernest Aroztegui and furthered her professional training in the workshops of Félix Bernasconi, Guillermo Fernández, Nelson Ramos, Osvaldo Paz, Clever Lara and Gerardo Acuña. Her works are widely collected and held by prestigious museums and institutions worldwide.
MNAV Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales
Tomás Giribaldi 2283 esq. Julio Herrera y Reissig 
Parque Rodó - Montevideo - Uruguay
(Tuesday through Sundays, 1pm - 8pm. Free Admission.)
Also on display in other salons at MNAV are shows featuring the sculptures of Analia Sandleris, paintings and collages by Luis Solari and paintings by Miguel Angel Pareja. (Information to follow.
Also up is our latest visit to EAC, Espacio de Arte Contemporaneo, created in a wing of the former Miguelete prison, to see how it is progressing.
Info
Nora Kimelman website
Nora Kimelman at National Museum of Visual Arts