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Paul McCarthy (1945, Salt Lake, USA)

Children's Anatomical Educational Figure (ca. 1990)



 McCarthy has always been transgressive and critical about his culture but with lots of humor. He comes from a very American background and often uses references from popular culture such as cartoons, toys, porn, or just our higly sexual culture, violence, other contemporary artists ( This same year, for the Frieze Art Fair in New York Mc Carthy did one of Joseph Koon's dogs, but as actual balloons, whoch was one of those epic art -in your face- statements)... and even shit, as he did on the piece he created for the Paul Klee Center in Bern, where his gigantic inflatable turd, ended up falling and making a mess in the premises.

 Anyway, he started out as a performance artist, usually related to the Vienese actionism movement, however McCarthy has his very own way of performing in a transgressive way, but from his own background, not necesarilly copying European ways of doing, he says that rather of making a shamanistic ritual out of his performance he is just being a clown.

 The piece selected for the Biennal works as a found object, of this huge stuffed doll with some of its viscera comming out from a hole in his belly, he leaves us wanting more, with the need of tearing this doll apart and discovering all of his internal being, it has a bit of a black humor touch on it, but it just brings back this curiosity we have as kids, it's definitely provoking.

Jhon deAndrea (1941, Denver, USA)

He is one of the many hyperrealist artists who came out from a strong movement in the US , mid 60's. His complex tecnique starts from making the mold from the model then a bronze cast is made of it and DeAndrea works directly on it with layers and layers of paint, making it look incredibly human like. This sculptures look like people that got lost on time and space and are now vulnerable and defenseless under the scrutinizing eyes of the viewers.