Teresita Fernández’s latest solo show of new work As Above So Below, opening at MASS MoCA on May 24, 2014, combines graphite and gold to create a series of immersive, interconnected installations whose scale shifts from intimate to vast, from miniature to panoramic.

Describing a universe in balance, the phrase “as above, so below” originates from the ancient Hermetic tradition central to alchemy, in which every action occurring on one level of reality (physical, emotional, or mental) correlates to every other. The exhibition demonstrates the artist’s remarkable ability to transform materials and their surrounding architecture into an enveloping perceptual experience.

Responding to MASS MoCA’s massive and light-filled first-floor galleries, Fernández has created a trio of large-scale, landscape-informed installations, which embody this expression, and is united through the show’s elaborately detailed exploration of graphite and gold. Alongside these dramatic architectural interventions, the exhibition includes drawings made with India ink on reflective gold-chromed panels from Fernández’s most recent series, Golden. These works continue the artist’s inquiries into landscape painting, mining, the connections between the cosmos and the subterranean, and the cultural significance of gold.

-Lehmann Maupin

Image: © Teresita Fernández
Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong