• Amalia Pica

    Catachresis on paper
  • Featured in Amalia Pica's exhibition, Aula Expandida, on view at the gallery from February 15 - April 4, 2024, are a group of new sculptures and collages from an ongoing series that focus on the rhetorical device known as catachresis, the application of terms that apply to things that do not have their own word, such as the teeth of a comb, leg of a chair, tongue of a shoe, or elbow of a pipe, often named with human body parts. 

     
  • Installation view Amalia Pica catachresis collages
    • Image of Catachresis on paper #74 (boca de jarro, teeth of the rake, face of the crystal, legs of the stool, spine of the book)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #74 (boca de jarro, teeth of the rake, face of the crystal, legs of the stool, spine of the book), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #78 (head of radicchio, boca de jarro, teeth of the fork, neck of the bottle)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #78 (head of radicchio, boca de jarro, teeth of the fork, neck of the bottle), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #65 (boca de jarro, head of the endive, tongue of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #65 (boca de jarro, head of the endive, tongue of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #59 (the teeth of the rake, the foot of the mountain, the face of the moon, the tongue of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #59 (the teeth of the rake, the foot of the mountain, the face of the moon, the tongue of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #63 (the heel of the shoe, arms of the chair, the face of the crystal, legs of the chair, heads or tails)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #63 (the heel of the shoe, arms of the chair, the face of the crystal, legs of the chair, heads or tails), 2024
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #73 (banana skin, arm of the sofa, face of the crystal, artichoke heart)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #73 (banana skin, arm of the sofa, face of the crystal, artichoke heart), 2023
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  • The extension of a word beyond the limits of its meaning reveals how language and images can interact, contributing to the definition of reality. The result is a group of hybrid figures and images, in anthropomorphic or animal forms, that demonstrate the flexibility of language and its possibly comical consequences. 
    • Image of Catachresis on paper #57 (the face of the moon, the neck of the bottle, the face of the mirror, the foot of the mountain, the back of the chair, the heel of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #57 (the face of the moon, the neck of the bottle, the face of the mirror, the foot of the mountain, the back of the chair, the heel of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #71 (teeth of the rake, the face of the crystal, the back of the chair, the neck of the bottle, face of the coin, tongue of the shoe, boca de jarro)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #71 (teeth of the rake, the face of the crystal, the back of the chair, the neck of the bottle, face of the coin, tongue of the shoe, boca de jarro), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #81 (head of cabbage, legs of the chair, tongue of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #81 (head of cabbage, legs of the chair, tongue of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #69 (el diente de ajo, face of the crystal, the heel of the boot)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #69 (el diente de ajo, face of the crystal, the heel of the boot), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #62 (the face of the crystal, the spine of the book, el corazón de manzana, the heel of the shoe, the leg of the chair, teeth of the fork)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #62 (the face of the crystal, the spine of the book, el corazón de manzana, the heel of the shoe, the leg of the chair, teeth of the fork), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #67 (back of the sofa, face of the crystal, face of the glacier, tongue of the shoe, boca de lata)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #67 (back of the sofa, face of the crystal, face of the glacier, tongue of the shoe, boca de lata), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #59 (the teeth of the rake, the foot of the mountain, the face of the moon, the tongue of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #59 (the teeth of the rake, the foot of the mountain, the face of the moon, the tongue of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #72 (head of cauliflower, face of the crystal, shower head)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #72 (head of cauliflower, face of the crystal, shower head), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #70 (the teeth of the fork, the arm of the chair, the teeth of the rake, the heel of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #70 (the teeth of the fork, the arm of the chair, the teeth of the rake, the heel of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #77 (boca de jarro, face of the crystal, leg of the table, ala del sombrero, tongue of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #77 (boca de jarro, face of the crystal, leg of the table, ala del sombrero, tongue of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #80 (legs of the table, diente de ajo, face of the crystal, corazón de manzana, legs of the sofa, spine of the book, tongue of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #80 (legs of the table, diente de ajo, face of the crystal, corazón de manzana, legs of the sofa, spine of the book, tongue of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #79 (teeth of the fork, boca de jarro, arm of the chair, teeth of the rake, spine of the book, legs of the table)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #79 (teeth of the fork, boca de jarro, arm of the chair, teeth of the rake, spine of the book, legs of the table), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #64 (head of the cabbage, back of the chair, boca de jarro, face of the crystal, arm of the chair)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #64 (head of the cabbage, back of the chair, boca de jarro, face of the crystal, arm of the chair), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #61 (the face of the moon, el corazón de manzana, the face of the medal, the teeth of the comb, the face of the mirror, heels of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #61 (the face of the moon, el corazón de manzana, the face of the medal, the teeth of the comb, the face of the mirror, heels of the shoe), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #75 (ala del sombrero, bocca della lettere, face of the crystal, eye of the potato, legs of the chair)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #75 (ala del sombrero, bocca della lettere, face of the crystal, eye of the potato, legs of the chair), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #68 (neck of the bottle, teeth of the fork, arms of the sofa, legs of the chair, spine of the book, face of a glacier)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #68 (neck of the bottle, teeth of the fork, arms of the sofa, legs of the chair, spine of the book, face of a glacier), 2023
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    • Image of Catachresis on paper #76 (head of the cauliflower, ala del sombrero, spine of the book, legs of the chair, heels of the shoe)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #76 (head of the cauliflower, ala del sombrero, spine of the book, legs of the chair, heels of the shoe), 2023
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    • image of Catachresis on paper #58 (the face of the moon, of the mirror, of the prism, the teeth of the comb)
      Amalia Pica, Catachresis on paper #58 (the face of the moon, of the mirror, of the prism, the teeth of the comb), 2023
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  • Installation view Amalia Pica catachresis collages
  • Amalia Pica was born in 1978 in Neuquén, Argentina and currently lives and works in London. The artist received a BA from the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes P.P. in Buenos Aires in 2003 and attended graduate school at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. 

     

    Pica has had solo exhibitions at Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2023); Fondazione Memmo, Rome (2022); Brighton CCA (2022); Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich (2020); Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain (2019); The New Art Gallery, Walsall, UK (2019); Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth, Australia (2018); The Power Plant, Toronto (2017); NC Arte, Bogotá, Colombia (2017); Kunstverein Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany (2016); Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (2014); List Visual Arts Center, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2013); Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City (2013); Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2013); Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Neuquén, Argentina (2013); Kunsthalle St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland (2012); Chisenhale Gallery, London (2012); Malmo Konsthall, Malmo, Sweden (2010); among many others. 

     

    Her work was included in the Gwangju Biennial, South Korea (2016); The Ungovernables: New Museum Triennial, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2015); and ILLUMInations, curated by Bice Curiger, 54th Venice Biennale (2011). 

     

    Amalia Pica’s work can be found in the permanent collections of Tate Collection, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museo Nacional de Bellas Arte Neuquén, Neuquén, Argentina; KADIST Art Foundation, Paris; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Frac-Collection Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France; Fundação De Serralves, Porto, Portugal; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.