Vik Muniz is a Brazilian, New York-based artist whose practice is closely connected to the medium of photography, the end product of Muniz's work. His practice addresses the tension between abstraction and representation, the familiar and the unrecognizable, technology and craft, originality and reproduction. Through the act appropriation and reproduction Muniz's work tests traditional understanding of photography as a factual representation of reality while examining notions of authorship and art originality.

- Pictures of Color (After Rothko), 2000
, is part of a larger series of works inspired by famous artworks.

Encouraged by the artist's interest in the application and use of colors to the so-called human structures, Muniz replicates, in this case, a famous painting by Mark Rothko, through the use of color charts. Reconceptualizing a philosophy of color, key to Rothko's practice, through a collage-based approach of pantone paper squares, Muniz replicates the painting into a model, matching Rothko's color pallet. By using common and ephemeral materials, Muniz questions our perception and preference of art, addressing ideas of subjectivity, quality, taste and arts fetishization. Through the medium of photography, his work questions arts authenticity issues, and the belief system tied to the measure of arts value.



Marketa Condeixa