In the center of the Aspen Art Museum gallery that houses Oscar Murillo's “Social Altitude,” giant black canvases are strewn around the floor. It's a work called “The Institute of Reconciliation” that Murillo says takes its cue from human migration.
"How it has been installed in the gallery, it feels like its come from somewhere, that it’s come from the outside, that it’s had a life and been deposited here," he said.
Murillo’s work is partially inspired by his own experience; he moved to London from Colombia when he was ten and spoke no English.
He says the new exhibit is anchored by another work: canvases he installed in high-school classrooms all around the world.
"They’ve all been sewn together to create this kind of tension, in relation to symbolically bringing all these different geographies together," he said.
“Social Altitude” opens Friday at the museum, alongside Seth Price’s “No Technique.” A reception, including gallery tours, begins at 5:30 p.m.
