The works displayed by Iván Cardona revolve around ideas related to the word, the press, ideology, politics and painting.
Several of them are based on the study, comparison and use of newspapers such as El Tiempo, El Espectador and Voz. Behind this choice lies the conviction that these media are representative of our intellectual circle and that they wield their various ideological outlooks. In principle, this discourse is related to the written word, with the political fact that writing in the mass media is a good way to approach the intellectual debate regarding the country’s reality. However, and this may be the greatest achievement of Cardona’s proposal, is that ideology also subsists in other levels. The layout, the format, the use of color and the association of images and text are elements where the political and ideological nature of the media is present at a different level.
For this reason, when we see the range of hues and the extension of the classified ads in some of the selected media, we realize that economic interests are at stake and that these seem to acquire specific colors. On the other hand, the weekly newspaper Voz has a reduced range of colors and the volume of its discourse is smaller than the others, to say the least.
Similarly, other pieces show links between tradition, the presence of figures of power in the political arena, such as the Attorney General (Procurador) and his portrait displayed using the embroidery technique. Again, the choice of the thread’s color, methylene blue, complements the idea by creating a portrait that articulates the power of tradition with political power.
In this way, the project creates conceptual crossings that directly highlight or reveal other levels of political discourse. A discourse that, in a subtle but fitting manner, selects its field of action and submerges into it to surprise us.
){kind=link}