Jorge Macchi

A 2005 featured artist at the Venice Biennale, Macchi has garnered international attention for his delicate meditations on the poetics of everyday life using a variety of media and formats, from video installations to artist’s books to cut out newspaper collages. His work is characterized by a somewhat melancholic air, with subjects ranging from acts of random violence to unrequited love, the impossibility of conclusion, and the interplay between presence and absence. Born in Buenos Aires in 1963, Macchi has gained a significant reputation in his native Argentina and Europe, though he is less well known in the United States. Museums that have featured solo exhibitions of his work include the University of Essex in England, Recoleta Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Antwerp. (Blanton Museum of Art, Austin)