The Moment of Suspension by Jose Dávila at König Galerie, Berlin.

Berlin‘s König Galerie presents The Moment of Suspension by Mexican artist Jose Dávila, his third solo exhibition at the gallery. Throughout his career spanning more than 20 years, Dávila has engaged with various influences and mediums such as architecture and symbolism. For his latest show, set within the nave of a Brutalist church, he poises disparate materials ranging from basalt stone and volcanic rock to limestone and concrete against one another.

Intimating utopian ideals, Dávila combines uncut rock and sculpted concrete, forming pillars that hold the differently weighted materials in place. The resulting interplay of volume and mass evokes delicate fragility that contrasts the density of the materials. Furthermore, Dávila contrasts the solidity and permanence traditionally associated with sculpture. Several works feature uncut rock tethered to angular concrete blocks by a ratchet strap, with a pervading aura of weightlessness around the linked stones. A testament to his architectural eye (Dávila trained as an architect), each piece symbolizes development and growth through vertical surfaces, spheres and rectangles.

Related: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Vertical Configurations by Jose Dávila.

The teetering forms look as though they’re on the brink of collapse, with the various rocks and stones positioned in opposing directions creating a precarious appearance that undercuts monolithic stability. Some material is perfectly cut into geometric cubes and rectangles, while other rocks are left raw in their natural, uneven form. Dávila uses the stacking and balancing to mimic primal human behaviours, namely a collective impulse to construct. As with previous works by the artist, layered points of meeting and intersection are a recurring motif.

Davila’s exhibition statement describes the united yet disparate elements as functioning like the organs of a body, a vehicle of consciousness; “Blending structural innovation with a cosmological understanding of duration, Dávila shows how individuated parts relate to an overarching design. If the microcosm is removed, the macrocosm collapses.”

Jose Dávila’s ‘The Moment of Suspension’ is on view in the Nave of St. Agnes from October 26, 2019, through December 20, 2019.

See more projects by Jose Dávila on Yellowtrace here.

[Images courtesy of Jose Dávila and König Galerie.]