Nelson Gutierrez’s most recent work “The Death of Fear”
is made up of more than 100 ink and pencil individual
drawings on paper. It follows the latest social uprisings that
have taken place worldwide. He is intrigued with the manifestations
and in some cases the revolutions that we have
witnessed in the past 3 years. He has selected images from
different countries, from the Arab Uprising to the streets of
Venezuela, where the social malaise is palpable. Individuals
have lost their fear of governments and establishments
and take to the streets to demand change. Irrespective of
whether or not we agree with the uprisings, when we see
images of the demonstrations, they look strikingly similar
around the world.
The work is an investigation on visual perception, media
and the relationship between them. It looks at the connection
between individual and collective identity; passive spectators
versus active engagement. Each individual drawing
isolates one subject, focusing on fragments excerpts from
the broader context in which they may inevitably get lost; it
focuses on people who are likewise passionately engaged.