Lot 102: Jose Toirac, Solve et Coagula (ceramic plates)

3D Works. Ceramic, 0" x 0". Twelve unique ceramic dishes, each printed with different fragments of corroded chains from the monument to the Victims of the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba. / Titled dated and signed in verso: "Solve et Coagula" 2012 M&T. Group of 11 black ceramic plates- part of an installation (were 12 but one broke in transit) Unique piece from a set of 12. The others are available for purchase at the same price as the winning bid. From the Series Solve et Coagula The series of 12 euqal-si9ze plates are part of the installation "Solve et Coagula", based on the historical event of the explosion of the Maine, an American battleship which was anchored in the Havana harbor during the Spanish-American war, in 1898. This piece is related to the historical love-hate relationship between Cuba and the United States, and specifically to the political antagonism after the 1959 revolution. The photo printed on each ceramic plate was taken by the artist at the monument to the Maine located almost in front of the American embassy in Havana. The monument was unveiled in 1925 and two original cannons and an anchor chain from the battleship were part of it. Toirac's artwork also signifies the conversion of patriotic relics of war into souvenirs and merchandise.

0" x 0"

2012