In the universe described as a space without straight lines, the gravitational movements, the tipping or detouring of the planets and stars form part of a grand cosmic movement that is barely perceptible to man. The illusion of a straight line exists therefore, in the dimensions of time and space. If compensation is necessary to counteract the optical illusion (as Vitruvio did to correct the lines of the Parthenon), we create lines and curves according to the limits of our vision. In this context, straight lines have somehow dictated the human being’s order. Science and rationalism have nourished for centuries our own intellect and linear life.

The work of Roberto Turnbull reflects an interior process wedded to a subtle spirit, whether radical or linear, or not. His constructive system (like Islamic architecture) arises from the interior to the exterior. The versions are more like di-versions, discontinuous, with order, sequence and posture disdainfully different. His observation discerns abnormal dimensions and intuit deliberate rituals. You don’t find references simply on a cognitive level. Through an immediate and superficial recognition, the illogical form, volume and situation is presented. The curves and hot colors accentuate, the straight lines conserve a rhythmic displacement.

Historical, commercial or publicity images, packing material, wood, plastic or stone, the use of common nostalgia out of context nonetheless constructs a conversation at the most profound level. A constant sense of abstraction combines with the sphere of the ordinary united with a playful expressiveness. All cloaked with an informal aura, the elements exist in continuous union, whether graphic, pictorial or material. We go to wherever we can see, more or less as dogs see …

“As dogs see” is exhibited at Kunsthaus Santa Fe starting on January 29, 2005.

Roberto Turnbull was born in Mexico City in 1959. He received the Biannual Rufino Tamayo award in 1998 and 1991, the Omnilife award in Guadalajara in 1994. He has had one-man shows in important galleries such as the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City and in the United States. He has participated in many collective exhibitions throughout the world in Japan, Norway, Canada, Columbia, Belgium, France and has participated in various Biannuals such as the Biannual of Havana in 1989 and the Biennal of Cuenca, Ecuador, among others. He has belonged to the National System of Creator since the year 2000.