Eugenio Merino

Eugenio Merino, (From Left to right) “Always Putin”, 2014 ; “Always Bush”, 2014 ; “Always Kim”, 2014 ; “Always Mao”, 2014 ; “Always Fidel”, 2014 ; “Always Chavez”, 2014, Mixed media, Courtesy of UNIX Gallery

Eugenio Merino
Always

My work is about our relation with the world we live in and its connection with humor through a wide-ranging body of work such as installations, sculptures, drawings or paintings.

…Issues such as the rising inequality (Joseph E. Stiglitz), the Mcdonaldization of our society (George Ritzer), the effects of Capitalism and the power of brands (Naomi Klein), our beliefs, our history and our present. Works that question ideology, religion, economy, politics and at the same time its own methods and channels, galleries, museums, institutions, public spaces and art fairs.

Doubt and humor are essential in my work. They involve distrust of the “facts” that are used to create our reality, while at the same time humor facilitates relief of the tension caused by this same reality.

– Eugenio Merino

Biography
The works of Spanish-born artist Eugenio Merino deal with matters such as politics, religion, and society, with the purpose of making us doubt all supposed truths. For this he may use irony, humor, metaphor or oxymora, or anything to make art a space for thought and finding the beauty in the idea.

Known for his more controversial sculptures such as For the Love of Go(l)d or Stairway to Heaven, Eugenio Merino works in different directions and mediums. Drawings, videos, objects, and sculptures in bronze, resin or silicone are all part of his oeuvre. Each idea requires a specific material or language. The ideas are the language of Merino. Born in 1975 in Spain, Eugenio Merino graduated from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions and has participated in a variety of art fairs, including Volta NY, Volta Basel, ARCO (Madrid), Art Brussels, FIAC (Paris), Armory Show, Arte Fiera (Bologna), Art BO (Bogota), MACO (Mexico), Art Wynwood (Miami) and has exhibited at the MOCA Museum of Taipei and the B.P.S.22 in Charleroi (Belgium). Merino collaborates with the Spanish satirical magazine Mongolia, similar to Charlie Hebdo magazine, as a way to carry out political activism and social commentary focusing on current issues destined for a wider range of viewers.

Eugenio Merino, “Always Putin”, 2014, Mixed media

Eugenio Merino, “Always Bush”, 2014, Mixed media

Eugenio Merino, “Always Kim”, 2014, Mixed media

Eugenio Merino, “Always Mao”, 2014, Mixed media

Eugenio Merino, “Always Fidel”, 2014, Mixed media

Eugenio Merino, “Always Chavez”, 2014, Mixed media