Federico Herrero
Atrium Project: Federico Herrero

Aug 11th, 2018 – May 5th, 2019
MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

Copyright the artist; Photo Nathan Keay, MCA Chicago
Copyright the artist; Photo Nathan Keay, MCA Chicago
Copyright the artist; Photo Nathan Keay, MCA Chicago
Copyright the artist; Photo Nathan Keay, MCA Chicago
Copyright the artist; Photo Nathan Keay, MCA Chicago
Copyright the artist; Photo Nathan Keay, MCA Chicago

In Alphabet, a site-specific commission for the MCA atrium, Costa Rican artist Federico Herrero (b. 1978) paints the museum’s second-floor entrance with his characteristic color blocks to create a large, abstract landscape. Jumping planes—from the atrium wall to the facade windows—the mural offers an immersive experience reminiscent of tropical environments in Central America, and—like a real landscape—it will dramatically change with the shifting seasons.

Herrero sees his paintings, which range from small canvases to monumental urban spaces, as open-ended landscapes that are never finished, always growing and morphing into something new. In a sense, these works grow beyond the canvas or vertical wall and make their way to the horizontal surfaces of the floor and ceiling, extending his abstract color fields into urban spaces and public life.

Alphabet can be seen from the MCA’s public plaza and second-floor atrium. This exhibition is organized by José Esparza Chong Cuy, Pamela Alper Associate Curator at the MCA.

About Federico Herrero

Federico Herrero is a Costa Rica-based artist whose practice encompasses painting on canvas, public wall-painting and sculptural installations.

Related Exhibition