MONDONGO
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina; where they currently live and work.
Members: Manuel Mendanha (1976) & Juliana Laffitte (1974)
Mondongo is a group of Argentinian artists: Agustina Picasso, Juliana Laffitte and Manuel Mendanha. They’ve been working together since 1999 making boxes whose hallmark is the material. Some of his best-known series are the black and Red series. The first is a re-reading of the classic Charles Perrault, Red Riding Hood, made of clay and the second is based on Internet pornographic images represented with cookies. They also made their self-portraits, images of the White House made with smoked salami, a Lotus flower with 300 thousand sticks, and a wave and a birth done with colored mirrors. In 2004 Mondongo was commissioned by the Spanish Royal family to create portraits of its members. In 2005 they exhibited a giant dollar bill made with nails and wire silver on a black base fabric. During 2006 they conducted a series of portraits of Argentine personalities: Diego Maradona made with gold chains, Che Guevara with bullets, Jorge Luis Borges with Atahualpa Yupanqui with wool yarn, Carlos Gardel with pins, Eva Perón with breads, among many others personalities. Presented in Los Angeles, Arco (Madrid) and the Valencia Biennale. The relationship between the work and the material that is performed has always been important for them, even if sometimes it turns to be more obvious than in some other cases. The group’s name plays a little bit with the food idea: the mondongo is a popular Argentinian dish with various ingredients. Some of Mondongo’s principles are: the idea of working in Group and to make of their art a massive issue.
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- 2013 “I’d Settle for Being Able to Sleep”, artsawa, Dubai, UAE
- 2012 “Mondongo”, artsawa, Dubai, UAE
- 2010 “Mondongo”, Boce Pacia, New York, USA
- 2009 “Silencio”, Ruth Benzacar Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2009 Track 16, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, USA
- 2008 “Mondongo”, Maddox Arts, London, UK
- 2008 “Gaslighting”, Track 16, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, USA
- 2007 “Thread/bare”, Track 16. Santa Monica, Los Angeles, USA
- 2005 “Merca”, Galería Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2004 “Cumbre’, Casa de América, Madrid, Spain
- 2004 “Esa Boca tan Grande”, Galería Daniel Maman. Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2003 “Mondongo”, Cancillería de la Embajada de España, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2002 “Mondongo”, Galería Braga Menéndez Schuster, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2000 “La Primera Cena”, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2013 Abu Dhabi Art, artsawa, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- 2011 Pinta Art Fair, Maddox Arts, London, UK
- 2010 Pinta Art Fair, Maddox Arts, London, UK
- 2009 Art Basel Miami, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, USA
- 2009 ‘Tres en Línea’, Centro cultural de España, Córdoba, Argentina
- 2009 ‘Discursos Narrativos’, Espacio Contemporáneo de Arte, Mendoza, Argentina
- 2009 ‘Discursos Narrativos’, El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC), Salta, Argentina
- 2009 ‘Discursos Narrativos’, Espacio Auditórium, Mar del plata, Argentina
- 2009 New York Photo Festival, Nueva York, USA
- 2009 ‘Erotic Show’, Gana Art Gallery, Seoul Korea
- 2008 ‘Comme des Garcons’, Printed Matter, Dover Street Market, London UK
- 2008 ‘791 IT-Comme des Garcons’, Printed Matter, Beijing, China
- 2008 ‘Discursos Narrativos’, MALBA, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2007 Bienal de Valencia-San Pablo, Valencia, Spain
- 2007 ‘Altar Girls’, Museo de las Américas, Denver, Colorado, USA
- 2007 Arco, Galería Ruth Benzacar, Madrid, Spain
- 2006 ‘Lo material no cuenta’, Galería Distrito4, Madrid, Spain
- 2006 Art Miami, Galería Ruth Benzacar, Miami, USA
- 2006 Arco, Galería Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2005 Eco, Proa. Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2005 ArteBA 2005, Galería Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2005 From BA to LA, Track 16, Los Angeles
- 2004 ArteBA 2004, Galería Daniel Maman. Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2004 Instituto de Américas, Granada, Spain
- 2003 ‘Arte y Comida’, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2003 ArteBA 2003, Galería Braga Menéndez Schuster, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2002 Estudio Abierto, El Abasto. Buenos Aires, Argentin
- 2002 Project Room México, Galería Braga Menéndez Schuster. Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2002 ArteBA 2002, Galería Braga Menéndez Schuster, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2002 200×200, Centro Cultural Recoleta. Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2001 Premio Wipe, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
EDUCATION
- Fine Arts, the School of Fine Arts Prilidiano Puerredon