Ilana Savdie: Radical Contractions

The Marimonda character—a presumed hybrid of a human, elephant, and monkey that is part of the annual Carnaval de Barranquilla in Colombia—appears in several works in this exhibition. The figure slips in between forms and wedges itself in the central action of Savdie’s compositions, behaving like a sly and unruly trickster. In mythology and folklore, the trickster is an archetypal figure with a proclivity for mischief. Through quick thinking and clever deceptions, mockery, and humor, the character often provokes disruption that confuses unsuspecting bystanders who may cross its path. Savdie sees the trickster, both in folklore and in nature, as an invaluable agent of change. Glimpses of the Marimonda appear unexpectedly in her canvases through the form of a mask or a hand, deceiving viewers into thinking that it may lead them to a figure but quickly dissolving or shape-shifting into maximalist expressions of form, color, and texture.