Bruno Peinado

In his works, the French artist Bruno PEINADO (born 1970) manages to intertwine the plurality of commonplace objects and symbols with the aesthetic and content of different cultures. The imagery of western pop culture meets the traditions and symbols of a multi-ethnic society, which PEINADO’s multinational upbringing makes him feel akin to. The rigor and static of icons, formed by society, is lifted, destroyed and remixed. PEINADO comments on this as follows: “My logic is one of re-combination; the world is a clashing of images. My intension is to destroy purity.“ Following this principle of recombination PEINADO creates a hybrid world, which dismisses western culture. For PEINADO’s debut in Austria, the walls of the gallery Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art Vienna will be lined with an intricate semiotic system, as the artist turns the white cube into a projection space, covered with neon writing, logos and labels. PEINADO absorbs the image overload of the 21st century and places it into a new context. For example, the logo of the known German automobile brand is integrated into a dream catcher and thereby charged with mythical meaning. In lieu of the spiders web of PEINADO’s dream catcher, which adorns the mid section of the Native American cult object, appears – very label-like – the word Fame. The western value system with its key words such as fame, success and money is combined with the Native American totem, which is supposed to guarantee a quiet and good night’s sleep. A similar phenomenon is found with another indigenous symbol in the installation „Nouvel Ordre“, in which two eagles cut from painted aluminum attack a turning disco ball. The pretentious glamour life, which is projected by the bling of the ball, is further developed in the socio-critical installation „Speedy Revolution“ – a rotating bag, from which palm trees, the Eiffel Tower, a diamond and smiley face sculptures sprout. PEINADO’s aluminum objects are loaded with symbols of western wealth and reflect the power of the image, which we find ourselves confronted with in the 21st century.

After exhibiting in the Ursula Blickle Foundation, the Kunsthalle St. Gallen, the Palais de Tokyo, as well as in several Biennales (Lyon, São Paulo, Istanbul), the works of Bruno PEINADO will, for the first time, be shown to an Austrian audience in the gallery Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art Vienna.

Bruno Peinado