Soweto


Main edition of 7 + 1/1

This path started more than three years ago. The goal: to use stencils to explore further possibilities, dimensions, ways of looking.
Stencils, wood, light: depth.

Coming soon.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRtSUJvlfdc

Soweto

This is the portrait of a girl photographed by my father on the 11th of September 2001 in Soweto, South Africa.
Soweto was built on the outskirts of Johannesburg to relocate the black population, displaced from areas destined exclusively for whites by the Apartheid regime.
In June 1976, close to 20000 black students from Soweto took to the streets to protest against the imposition of Afrikaans (Germanic language which represented White political power and domination, in particular the Apartheid regime) as the official language of instruction in schools. The protesters were repressed by State Forces and hundreds of students were killed.
The legacy of the Group Areas Act and Bantu Education still haunt South Africa and Soweto is today, as in the past, a symbol of the struggle against racism, oppression, exploitation and marginalization.

Main edition of 7

70 x 60 x 8 cm (27.5 x 23.6 x 3.1 inches)
Three-dimensional stencil on lightbox.
Caoba wood, handpainted stencil cutouts (cut on MDF), aerosol, aluminum, electric and lighting materials.

Tinku, 2017
With the support of 360° and Cune.

*Instead of using the stencil layers to paint Soweto, the cutouts themselves make the image. Due to the way they are painted and located, the portrait reveals itself when the layers are lit. The distance between them makes the appearance vary when the angle from which Soweto is seen changes, producing a dynamic three-dimensional feeling.

My generation grew up with tales of defeat. They told us of markets that distributed everything, of the victory of technique in the face of ideologies, of the absolute supremacy of the individual self and its insatiable thirst for profit, of fragmented struggles and increasingly brief, banal and fleeting exchanges.

My generation grew up with tales of defeat, but also inherited experiences and longings, that resurface at times whispered, at times loud and clear.

“La Herencia” is a tribute to those who taught us to dream and build a society in which the intelligence, organization, solidarity and creativity of the many prevail, in which science and culture are communal patrimony and not tools of oppression and exploitation. “La Herencia” is a tribute to those that taught us to struggle for a society in which no one reaps the fruits of another’s work, in which man ceases to be a wolf to man.

__________

La Herencia

Handcut stencils, aerosol and acrylic paint on canvas
130 x 100 cm
Tinku, 2018

*Based on a photograph by 360º

Well, don't think mny will contest that statement.
Awesome work, tinku

Any updates from Tinku? This kid is so talented.

A little less than three years ago, after completing my studies in economics, I decided to dedicate myself full-time to plastic arts, stencils, and the exploration of new frontiers and formats. From cardboard and canvas, I ventured into steel, wood, and electrical circuits. This transition meant leaving behind some of the comfort zones I had developed over the years.

One of the challenges during this period was to move from manual cutting to digital drawing. This opened up the possibility to work with new materials, that were impervious to the blade of an x-acto knife, and allowed for flexible scales. However, what might appear as a shortcut was, in reality, an intricate path. In order to avoid the coldness of algorithms, I chose to draw each vector that comprised the stencil holes by hand. Often, I faced uncertainty about the technical capacity to translate those digital bits into the physical world.

I still require some time to share all the fruits of these years of work. However, gradually, partial results will be revealed here, as well as in other spaces. "Izote" is one of those.

Composed of 212,797 holes, which I meticulously traced over the course of eight months, "Izote" was conceived during a transitional phase in my personal life. I aimed to channel the creative force that accompanies change into a pictorial reflection on the uncertainty of the unknown, but also on identity, history, bonds, nature, and humanity.

"Izote" was created to be part of a diptych and will eventually transform into a three-dimensional object. While that becomes possible, I decided to return to the origins, cutting out the four layers that compose it and capturing it on canvas. Here is the result.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtKQPkGAGFv

Izote

Stencils, aerosol and acrylic paint on canvas
120 x 120 cm (≈ 47 x 47")
Tinku, 2023

*Based on a photograph by 360º

PS: If any of you happen to be in Mexico City and would like to grab a beer, please send me a private message. I will be happy to show you other outcomes of this creative period.

Jalapa

Stencils, aerosol, acrylic paint and copper leaf on canvas
150 x 100 cm (≈ 59 x 39")
Tinku, 2024

*Based on a photograph by 360º




Jalapa

Stencils, aerosol and acrylic paint on copper leaf on canvas
156 x 104 cm (≈ 61 x 41")
Tinku, 2024

*Based on a photograph by 360º