Leandro Erlich

Leandro Erlich proposed a new version of his famous Building, created for the first time in 2004. By the reflection in a mirror placed on the ground of an illusory facade of a typical Chinese building, the artist invites the visitor to virtually climb on to the edifice as a Spiderman and experience the sensations and vision of this perspective without being in real danger. The artist is challenging viewers' ideas of reality and the spaces they occupy and the contexts they find themselves in everyday. Erlich's installations consist of architectural elements, which are usually constructed on a human scale. The public finds its bearings in these elements through a familiar vision: the everyday elements that form the works. The works, like a stage set, are created in a way that makes the viewer a participant, becoming a player in the work itself. Devices that could be elements of a trompe-l'oeil, created with mirrors that reverse spaces, challenge material existence. Within the sphere of illusions, reversals and reflections, the visitor is invited to experience the artist's illusionist gifts. But the experience requires the viewer to go beyond the fascination of the optical phenomena to explore the depths of a psychological reality. He does not create a space, but a situation with the public, who is then confronted with the strange experience of his own presence.

Leandro Erlich

Born in 1973 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Lives and works in Buenos Aires.

Leandro Erlich is known for installations that seem to defy the basic laws of physics and befuddle the viewer, who is introduced into jarring environments that momentarily threaten a sense of balance or space. Leandro Erlich has been exhibiting his work internationally for over ten years and represented Argentina at the 49th Venice Biennial in 2001.

Recent Solo Shows:
2009: Luciano Brito, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain. 2008: Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy; PS1 MoMA, New York (USA). 2007: Galeria Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires.