The "objects," as I refer to them, are more easily understood. These linear shapes are guided by the objects that spawn them.
Most of the flowers are composed of many linear shapes, where the thread starts at the base of the flower bulb and is sent shooting off in various directions and sine waves related to the flower they represent, eventually creating a petal. The vase, for example, is composed of many linear shapes that trace themselves around a parameterized cone. Most shapes start at some location and end at another, creating points as they go. Think of shapes as the string of a necklace, where the points are the beads. Shapes in Chimera are mostly just lines (with a few exceptions). When the point is created, each trait is sent to various buffers in a custom shader that is responsible for drawing the strokes. Each point holds the defining traits of a brush stroke. The points have several traits, like their position, color, and in some cases, velocity.
Every edition has many points, usually upwards of one million. The most basic unit in Chimera is the point. Chimera simultaneously reaches into the past while exploiting the capabilities of the present and seeks to represent a unique moment in time, a generation of art in between digital and physical realities, encapsulating where we came from and where we are going. It is an old tradition in the very new medium of on-chain generative art, a movement that will have an enormous presence in the future. Traditionally viewed as a type of technical practice or meditation (the bottom of the “hierarchy of genres”), some examples of still life have gone on to be among the most important works in art history.Ĭhimera is a natural progression of still life. From ancient carvings through contemporary art, scenes of commonality, beauty, and metaphor have persisted. Other subjects are timeless, popping in and out of multiple movements and genres throughout history. The potential subjects within said medium can grow in complexity as well, some fully dependent on the medium that holds them. When a new medium comes into existence, the capabilities of both the artist and viewer increase in number. Most mediums are not discarded, but combined or extended to incorporate new technology or ideas. Spoken words evolved into written text, eventually becoming complex screenplays, computer code, and a world of hyperlinks. Pictograms and hieroglyphics turned into paintings, which eventually became moving images and photoreal graphics. New creative mediums almost always ingest those that came before. Utilizing large banners and dramatic wall paint, Contreras presents a show that is both elegy and rebirth an opportunity to reckon with the past and make a dramatic visual leap forward.Chimera is a mutation, its genetics a merging of past and present. His larger vinyl, paint and shaved aluminum on metal pieces have a strong physical presence that speaks to his command of sculpture and his previous years as an art handler. Taking ideas previously expressed through cut vinyl, the woven works are both dynamic and tactile. The laser cut woven prints in the exhibition are representative of the pieces he made while at Anderson Ranch. Gathering works and destroying others is a metaphor for understanding loss in his life and moving forward in a positive way. Closing up his studio and discarding works no longer of interest he has begun to assimilate the modus operandi of his art practice into a cohesive whole. Ironically at a time of deep sadness, Contreras was offered admission to Columbia University in New York City for his Master of Fine Art’s degree. Welcoming in the enormity of grief and processing the stages one must go through to learn to function and move forward in their daily lives without the presence of their loved ones. Güelcome, meaning welcome in Venezuelan vernacular, is a swan song of sorts.
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