In the context of his second exhibition on Blackness, the new topic of Centro Cultural Contraviento, the artist Marcelo Kopp (1986), a Rosario native, showcased an extensive set of xylography on wood which was well-received by visitors.
The exhibition was made of a total of fourteen pieces, both xylography and engravings of different pictures. These represent contemporary issues such as poverty, pollution, and inequality, among others.
The artist explained his quest: “The idea is to express Blackness with all the metaphors that it represents. The simplest ones are darkness, wrongness, and negativity. In general, my work deals with topics such as monitored cities, current issues in the streets, nature affected by toxins.”
Xylography is a relief printing technique which uses wood cuts and opposes the black ink to the wood carvings that stay white. Based on that figure, and using black ink and pressure, different prints are created.
“Unlike other types of art, engraving democratizes through its massive reproduction and direct language. This technique was widely used for pamphlets and follows a political tradition that lends itself to social criticism and demands. The work carries that tradition,” claimed Kopp.
There is definition in the technique. He builds everything in his workshop, a space that reflects the atmosphere of a medieval artisan. His artistic sensitivity seems to contrast with the iron presses and huge screws that flood the space, but they are actually another extension of his work.
