Barrio Escalante, San José

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Millenials, by Alexy Palenzuela. A candy-red surface, so reflective and polished that it initially denies the physical weight of bronze, commands an immediate presence akin to a luxury commodity.

Alexy Palenzuela

MillenialsInquire about availability

Year
2019
Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
60 × 35 × 30 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
ruby red, garnet red, light carmine red, lead gray, black
Brushwork
Bronze casting with mirror polish, high-gloss automotive lacquer finish, and metal base engraved with calligraphic incisions.

Curatorial analysis

A candy-red surface, so reflective and polished that it initially denies the physical weight of bronze, commands an immediate presence akin to a luxury commodity. Light does not merely glide across the volume; it fractures into sharp highlights that outline the turgid curves of the belly, the rounded arms, and the compact ears. Alexy Palenzuela employs this mirrored finish as a tactile decoy, transforming the traditional severity of metal casting into a gummy, almost liquid skin that evokes designer vinyl toys as readily as the immaculate gloss of automotive paint.

The figure assumes a contrapposto brimming with eloquence and swagger. With arms folded firmly across a prominent torso, head tilted upward, and one leg extended outward in a gesture of effortless self-assurance, the character subverts the docility associated with the nursery bear. Missing is the innocence of a plush toy or the tenderness of the animated referent; what stands instead is an attitude of playful defiance, a stance rehearsed to be observed. Lines of tension flow from the firm anchor of the supporting leg through to the diagonal kick of the free limb, establishing an asymmetrical dynamic that counterbalances the rotund weight of the abdomen.

The dark bronze plinth, featuring a satin finish traced with hand-engraved calligraphic script, establishes a sober counterpoint to the chromatic exuberance of the sculptural body above. Within this dialogue between formal base and gleaming effigy, the title Millenials discovers its ironic resonance. Palenzuela contrasts the physical density and permanence of monumentality against the visual weightlessness of the pop fetish, encapsulating a generational tension between infantilized nostalgia, the cult of the dazzling facade, and an uncompromising confidence in one's own pose.

Millenials

More works by Alexy Palenzuela

15 works

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