MOLAA’S INAUGURAL LIVE ART AUCTION

LOT #3ANÍBAL CATALÁN (Mexico, b. 1973)Untitled (Morpho series, Orange I) / Sin título (series Morpho, Naranja I), 2011Mixed media on paper19 11/16 x 27 9/16 in. (50 x 70 cm)Gift of Sayago & Pardon, TustinPhotograph: Lang Photography, Laguna BeachEstimated price: $1,500-$2,500Trained as an architect before he moved on to the visual arts, Aníbal Catalán’s work is informed by movementssuch as Suprematism, Constructivism and Deconstructivism, as well as the chaos of Mexico City, the placewhere he lives. He states that “Mexico City [is] somewhere more open and free due to its disorder and constantstate of flux and crisis,” and his paintings, drawings, videos and installations create similar environmentsin which the viewer can roam freely through the artwork, feeling chaos and calm simultaneously.Experimenting with architecture through works such as Untitled (Morpho series, Naranja I), from 2011,Catalán utilizes elements of domestic architecture such as walls, pillars, and scaffolding in exaggerated andvisceral perspectives reminiscent of Siqueiros’ poliangular perspectives but undoubtedly synthesizing thearchitectural and artistic ideas of the Russian avant-gardes.Catalán holds a BFA from Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado La Esmeralda, 2001-2006; aFine Arts Diploma from Centro Cultural Helénico, 1999-2000; and from the School of Architecture atUniversidad Anáhuac, 1993-1997. Selected exhibitions include An Exchange with Sol LeWitt, MASS MoCA,Massachusetts, 2011; Cimbra Formas Especulativas y Armados Metafísicos, Museo de Arte Moderno, MexicoCity, 2011; Shangri L.A.: Architecture as a State of Flux, 18th Street Arts Center, Los Angeles, 2009; Overland,Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles, 2008; and Parcial, Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, Mexico City, 2007.Catalán lives and works in Mexico City.6