ektor garcia: loose ends

In a materials-based practice that draws on handcraft traditions and a DIY sensibility, ektor garcia subtly challenges hierarchies ​of​ gendered and racialized labor while undermining notions of static identity. ​He draws from a​ ​unique ​vocabulary of materials—copper wire, cast metals, glass, clay, horsehair, seashells, and leather—​which he​ w​ea​ve​s​, knot​s​, and crochet​s​​ into objects​ at once​ vulnerable and resistant, soft and hard. ​He begins e​ach piece with a single gesture or stitch, ​which he ​repeat​s​ over countless hours to ​create​ long chains, textiles, nets, and altar-like accumulations. Such works are shaped by the artist's responsiveness to materials, environmental and social context​s​, and the intuitive inattention that develops with manual repetition. As sculptures​,​ they ​are​ quiet but restless​—​psychologically and politically charged in their ​misleading ​delicacy and susceptibility to transformation. Records of time and labor, garcia's creations are only ever paused in their growth, never complete. The artist is ​also ​known to undo previously exhibited objects, reshaping and gathering them into ​new​ constellations. ​Through​​ ​his​ ​practice, ​he​ opens up​ new​ possibilities for making and knowing that are constantly engaged in a process of unraveling and reworking, learning and quiet change.