Franco Mondini-Ruiz *1961

metal, plastic, 15 × 6,5 cm, Prague Biennial 2005

metal, plastic, 15 × 6,5 cm, Prague Biennial 2005
Franco Mondini Ruiz (b. 1961), contemporary American artist of Mexican and Italian origin, works with the medium of painting, sculpture, installation and performance. The artist's sculptural works at the intersection of sculpture, object or installation often use common and found objects that express specific cultural and historical affiliation through which the artist playfully comments on the contradictions of high and low art and the exclusive world of the art market commodifying artworks. Mestizo work on offer Meltdown is a distinctive art object that critically refers to the theme of cultural and national identity. The work consists of a metal spoon immersed in a substance resembling whipped cappuccino foam, mixing the dark colour of coffee with milk foam. The mixing of colours here refers to the theme of of miscegenation, specifically the persons known as Mestizo, who have both European and Native American ancestry and represent a large group of American residents whose origins include a different historical experience.