Camisas, 2012, by the Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich consists of two shelves that initially appear to contain ten perfectly folded white shirts, however when approached are revealed to be made of ceramic rather than fabric, some of which are cracked or in pieces. Throughout his career, Erlich has depicted daily situations transformed by an illusion that requires a paradigm shift on behalf of viewers. The viewer is immersed in a fictional world in which nothing is what it seems and everything that responded to an order is disordered. Therefore, in this conceptual movement of Borgian references, it allows the emergence of new questions through an immersive visual language. As the artist and theorist Luis Camnitzer explains in the catalog of the artist’s retrospective exhibition at MALBA, Buenos Aires in 2019, "Leandro's work challenges the word "order" both in its authority and in its organization. It does it insidiously...because it does not mess up, as would be the obvious, but rather it substitutes. The authority seems to be maintained and the organization also. Thus, after all, the impossible seems possible, the absurd becomes rational, and the known is questioned until it touches the unknown."
Serge Tiroche co-founded the Tiroche DeLeon Collection in 2011, and with a unique combination of intuition and extensive knowledge, he was able to amass one of the strongest contemporary art collections of works by Latin American artists.
Over the last ten years, Serge Tiroche has been travelling to Latin America, acquiring remarkable works of art, guided not only by his own keen taste, talent and timing, but also by relying on a very meticulous process that involves continuous research and a deep understanding of the history of the continent, as well as in the development of personal relationships with artists, galleries and other cultural institutions. Through the creation of this well-respected and influential collection, Tiroche has also provided broader exposure for these artists, introducing their work to a larger, international audience.
Representing an expansive and diverse selection of the most influential artists actively working in Latin America today, a few of the esteemed names that constitute this important collection include Abraham Cruz Villegas, OSGEMEOS, Adrian Villar Rojas, Leandro Erlich and Vik Muniz. The selection of works currently on offer from the collection is representative of both well-established and more emerging artists. Working with everyday objects in a manner that intersects distinct movements like Pop art and Art Povera, these varied works heighten our perception and elicit an appreciation of our own experiences. If there is one point around which these artists may be brought together, it is that each of them approaches their work as a field of exploration, suggesting that art offers a unique way of discovering our relationship to the world, a theme that resonates today perhaps more than ever.