Jaimi Gilli 'Mashrabiya'

Bringing together the unexpected, the not so widely known and the much discussed, the Bloomberg SPACE is currently running a programme of exhibitions entitled ‘Comma’. A programme that enlists twenty established and emerging international artists, inviting them to create new pieces, installations and architectural interventions, all will be created in a fast paced succession with a turn around of two artists each month.

It isn’t surprising then that for the second installment, Jose Davila and Jaime Gili were the next two artists in line to open for the April month, and fans of both (these established) artists have been awaiting their contributions to the Comma exhibit with bated breath – though some, it is certain, will leave with an exhalation of disappointment.

Jose Davila 'Kaleidoscope'

COMMA 03, Jose Davila’s ‘The Sierpinski Variable’ is the first to greet the anticipating viewer. His ‘Kaleidoscope’, a series of deconstructed hexagonal shapes suspended on barely visible wire, explores his fascination with ‘levitating and disintegrating’ structures. MDF is cut into precise pieces to form a structure that is, in essence, falling apart and essentially made to look as if it were held together by strobe lighting. The missing side of the hexagon allows the viewer to step inside, and once in, to be almost blinded by the light reflecting sharply off an aluminium surface. It is easy to see an inherently architectural mindset within these pieces, but one might wonder if there’s more to it than just a break down of structure lined with pretty lights and cheap MDF.

Following the bedazzlement of the ‘Kaleidoscope’, the atrium space plays host to COMMA 04, Jaime Gili’s minimal ‘Mashrabiya’. You’d be forgiven for taking a few moments to actually recognise the piece in question; only after turning your head side to side, up and down, scouring the length and breadth of the glass atrium (and upon reading the handy little tear off essay by the entrance), does it emerge: the appearance of the atrium itself is the piece, the glass walls and bridges having been ‘transformed’ by triangular pieces of coloured vinyl.

Jaime Gili 'Mashrabiya'

Though vinyl shapes may not be completely out of place for Jaime, fans may have been expecting more of the vibrancy that his other works demonstrate. His installation; Everything is Borrowed at Alejandra von Hartz art gallery in Miami played host to the perfect example of where Gili’s pieces vibrantly explored the dimensions of the space itself. ‘4 Pistas’ shows Gili’s varied use of colour, using bold strokes of black lines to cut through and emphasise the angular shapes.Though the varied angular shapes in ‘Mashrabiya’ are indeed atmospheric to some effect, his previous explorations of Latin American abstract art and decomposing modernism promise more than ‘Mashrabiya’ delivers, though after a few drinks, staring long enough may very well induce more than the initial impact.

Jaime Gili '4 Pastas' from Everything is Borrowed

Simple but perhaps too subtle to even be noticed, followers of the Venezuelan-born artist may appreciate the sheer scale of this piece, but will be disappointed to find there’s nothing beyond that.