About the book:

Alejandro Leonhardt (Pto, Varas, Chile, 1985) is an artist whose projects are large-scale and, in most cases, ephemeral. Hagas lo que hagas, toma tiempo hacer nada (Whatever you do, it takes time to do nothing), is a monographic book that brings together the last 10 years of production through images and writings that give an account of his works and processes.

The theoretical perspective of this publication will be specifically oriented by the current of thought known as New Materialism, widely disseminated by the philosopher Tymothy Morton and the political scientist and philosopher Jane Bennett, an interdisciplinary, theoretically and politically engaged field of research, which emerges as part of what can be called the post-constructionist, ontological or material turn, and which is having a particular impact on contemporary artistic production. Leonhardt's work draws on these sources and modes of thought emerging in the culture of the Anthropocene, so this publication dedicated to his work is also a means of broadening research from the field of contemporary art into other disciplinary fields.

Alejandro Leonhardt: Hagas lo que hagas, toma tiempo hacer nada (Whatever you do, it takes time to do nothing)
Mockup: Otros Pérez

The book is co-edited by the artist himself and the curator Carolina Castro Jorquera. It features texts by Francesco Giaveri, Àngels Miralda, Ian Waelder, and Cristian Silva, with the translation from Spanish to English by Rodrigo Olavarría.

The design is by Otros Pérez, and the two publishing partners are Printer Fault Press (Germany) and Ediciones Finis Terrae (Chile).

The project has a mixed financing between a publishing fund from the Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile) and a fund from L21 Gallery (Spain), both represent approximately 80% of the total production of the publication, which is why we are calling for an advance sale that can help cover the remaining costs which include printing and distribution.

Photographs:

How to support:

You can pre-purchase a copy of the book with an original photograph from the series "Flotation and Destruction" (2021), or just the single book (signed or unsigned).

The series of photographs consists of 6 Polaroids scanned and enlarged to 36,3 x 29,8 cm printed on 310g matte 100% cotton Permalite Caroline paper. These works belong to the installation "Flotation and Destruction" (2021). 

Each photograph is signed and numbered as an edition of 10 copies and are sold unframed.

These photographs will be on sale together with the book, which will be delivered once the first copies are printed in 2023.

Presale options:

a) Book

• 1 copy of the book

b) Signed book

• 1 signed copy of the book

c) Book & 1 photograph:

• 1 signed copy of the book
• 1 Photograph from the series “Flotation and Destruction” (2021).

d) Book & 6 photographs:

• 1 signed copy of the book
  

• Complete suite of 6 photographs from the series “Flotation and Destruction” (2021).

  

About the artist:

"The trajectory of Alejandro Leonhardt (Puerto Varas, 1985) shows us the great circulation that artists of his generation are having internationally and the importance of supporting, recognising and generating theoretical discussion in our country. His work investigates the debris that human beings leave behind, material vestiges of habitation; signs that drive the experimentation of new interpretative gaps of the existing. An issue of great relevance in contemporary material culture and one that is being widely observed from fields as diverse as social sciences, philosophy, ecology, anthropology and, of course, art. As a curator and researcher, I believe it is necessary to think of contemporary art not only as a way of observing the world, but also as a form of knowledge specific to its time. That is why I consider it very relevant that artists like Leonhardt can disseminate their work through reflective theoretical texts that give context to their work in today's world".

- Carolina Castro Jorquera, Curator.


Alejandro Leonhardt (Puerto Varas, Chile, 1985) is an artist whose research explores the waste humans leave behind. Material vestiges with which he develops proposals that move between sculpture and installation. He studied Fine Arts at the Universidad ARCIS (2009) and a Master in Visual Arts at the Universidad de Chile (2015).

His work has been exhibited individually and collectively both in Chile and abroad, including: “Flotación y destrucción”, _unespacio (Santiago, Chile, 2021); “Líquida superficie sólida”, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Santiago, Chile, 2021); “Alguien, nadie, cualquiera”, L21 Gallery (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 2021); “The missing link: part 1 (the object)”, Platform 6ª (Otegen, Belgium, 2020); “Unidad mínima”, Espacio El Dorado (Bogota, Colombia, 2018); “Leer un rayo”, Galería Patricia Ready (Santiago, Chile, 2018); “Dobles de proximidad”, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Santiago, Chile 2018); and “Pacific Standard Time: LA / LA”, LAXART (Los Angeles, U.S.A. 2017).

He has been awarded the “Fondo Nacional de las Artes 2021” granted by the Government of Chile. He has been selected for the “Convocatoria Nacional de Adquisición de Obras de Artes Visuales 2020”, Government of Chile and has received an honourable mention in the “IV Concurso Artespacio Joven BBVA”, in 2018. Together with L21 he has been awarded the “Ron Barceló Imperial / ARCO Madrid prize (Madrid, Spain, 2015). He won the “Visioni Future” award at SWAB Art Fair (Barcelona, Spain, 2014).

Leonhardt has participated in the residency programmes Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo (Montevideo, Uruguay, 2018); Sagrada Mercancía (Santiago, Chile, 2016); FLORA Ars+Natura (Bogota, Colombia, 2015) and at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Gas Natural Fenosa (La Coruña, Spain, 2015).