Julian Chams’ ‘Traces and Visions’ uses nature as muse
“Nomadic” is probably not the first word that comes to mind when you think of an art gallery, but that’s exactly what describes the essence behind h o m e w o r k, an art gallery founded in 2021 by Dominican creatives Aurelio Aguiló and Mayra Mejía.
h o m e w o r k is the culmination of a thought process that began years earlier, when Aguiló was still working as staff in different art galleries around New York. After spending enough time working in the industry, Aguiló noticed that to successfully operate a gallery, you don’t necessarily need a physical space. As long as you have a presence in key events in the industry, you have access to all the outreach you need.
Through this idea, h o m e w o r k debuted last year with its first exhibition, V00001, during Art Basel Miami.
After a successful debut, the people behind h o m e w o r k have decided to direct their attention to the New York art scene, premiering a new solo exhibition in May by Colombian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Julián Chams. Titled “Traces and Visions” Chams’ solo show explores his conceptual body of work, combining different mediums such as paintings, sculptures, and tapestries that he uses as way to create “textile photography.”
Chams’ work is visceral, as he bases his pieces in his aesthetic tastes first, analyzing any meaning behind them later. His process consists of gathering materials from nature, such as photographs of intricate natural settings or found objects, and later analyzing why he was drawn to the materials.
His work often incorporates themes of life, death, and nature. By creating works using flora as inspiration, Chams proceeds to distress and decay them through the use of fire, signifying both the beauty and brevity of life and the immediacy and overbearingness of time and decay.
Through his work, Chams seeks to transmit to his audience the way in which he perceives the world around him, and the way he finds beauty in even the most grotesque aspects of the human experience.
“Traces and Visions” will be on display at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan (20 W. 29th Street) through May 27.