Carlos Amorales, one of Mexico’s most important contemporary artists from the 1990s to the present, explores the boundaries of language, translation systems, and the structure of the ubiquitous Internet to engage in cultural experimentation, placing his work very much in the midst of our times and drawing together aesthetic and ethical questions. Arcadia marks Amorales' second solo exhibition at NILS STÆRK, presenting a curated selection of his thought-provoking works that traverse the complex intersections of art, technology, and society.

On view are four woven images on canvas, originally displayed at Amorales' retrospective solo exhibition, The Factory, at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 2019. The four works are part of a series of six individual pieces created in relation to his large-scale installation Narcissus Orgy. With their intricate patterns and evocative visuals, they captivate viewers, showcasing imagery-text combinations that delve deeply into the contemporary cultural phenomenon of memes distributed over the internet, where their meaning can rapidly change, becoming incomprehensible to outsiders.

In a complementary display, the exhibition also features drawings from Amorales' Celebrity Pet series. These works share a common motif, delving deep into the nuances of contemporary life and digital imagery. The viewer encounters a non-linear narrative evolving through copy-paste logic, where the visual information repeats in a cyclical manner, offering new meanings as depicted characters mutate from one version to the next.

A recurring, symbolism-laden object in both groups of works is the mask, a common motif in Amorales' oeuvre. Hiding and distorting the depicted persona, the mask can be considered as an interface between reality and fiction, the public and the private, art and reality. The artist observes how the realms of society and social media have been merged together and have become indistinguishable, turning social media into a game of masks without most people being aware of it.

The term ‘Arcadia’, derived from Greek mythology, refers to an idyllic and utopian place of pastoral beauty and simplicity, where happiness and peace reign among shepherds living in harmony with nature. With both displayed groups of works created about five years ago, before the pandemic and today’s conflicts, Amorales ironically references to a "better" time passed. Arcadia connects to the artist's interest in mythology and how it manifests in contemporary society.

Amorales’ work is characterized by its multi-faceted nature and visual allure, serving as a potent platform for social and political critique. With the exhibited pieces, the artist constructs a distinctly personal visual language resonating universally and remaining profoundly relevant in today's ever-changing cultural landscape.

In parallel to Arcadia, Amorales' solo exhibition Black Cloud is on view at Kunstmuseum Brandts, Odense, until August 8, 2024.