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Carmen Argote — Macronutrient
Carmen Argote

Macronutrient

2020

Macronutrient invites close looking at a deceptively simple yet conceptually rich process: a protein bar pressed against paper, its nut oils seeping slowly into the surface and spreading well beyond the crayon lines Argote has traced to mark the moment of contact. The result is an amorphous, living form, one that continues to shift and bloom over time as the oils migrate through the fibers of the sheet. This quiet, ongoing transformation is central to the work's meaning, as Argote frames the oil imprint as a form of communication between surfaces, a transfer of material presence that resists fixity and control. The piece belongs to a recent body of work in which Argote interrogates the very definition of printmaking, returning it to its most elemental logic: the passage of a mark from one surface to another. Here, that passage is biological and time-dependent, governed by organic chemistry rather than mechanical repetition. The expanding stain becomes a record of duration, a visible accumulation of time that mirrors processes of digestion and slow change within the body. Argote's broader practice is consistently attuned to how materials carry meaning through their physical behavior, and Macronutrient distills that sensibility into an intimate, quietly compelling object. At 55.9 by 38.1 centimeters and signed by the artist, this work on paper is an accessible and highly characteristic example of Argote's conceptual approach. Collectors drawn to art that rewards sustained attention, and that collapses the distance between bodily experience and formal inquiry, will find this piece a distinctive and durable addition to any collection.

Medium
Protein bar oil and crayon on paper
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Carmen Argote, Macronutrient, 2020

Macronutrient invites close looking at a deceptively simple yet conceptually rich process: a protein bar pressed against paper, its nut oils seeping slowly into the surface and spreading well beyond the crayon lines Argote has traced to mark the moment of contact. The result is an amorphous, living form, one that continues to shift and bloom over time as the oils migrate through the fibers of the sheet. This quiet, ongoing transformation is central to the work's meaning, as Argote frames the oil imprint as a form of communication between surfaces, a transfer of material presence that resists fixity and control. The piece belongs to a recent body of work in which Argote interrogates the very definition of printmaking, returning it to its most elemental logic: the passage of a mark from one surface to another. Here, that passage is biological and time-dependent, governed by organic chemistry rather than mechanical repetition. The expanding stain becomes a record of duration, a visible accumulation of time that mirrors processes of digestion and slow change within the body. Argote's broader practice is consistently attuned to how materials carry meaning through their physical behavior, and Macronutrient distills that sensibility into an intimate, quietly compelling object. At 55.9 by 38.1 centimeters and signed by the artist, this work on paper is an accessible and highly characteristic example of Argote's conceptual approach. Collectors drawn to art that rewards sustained attention, and that collapses the distance between bodily experience and formal inquiry, will find this piece a distinctive and durable addition to any collection.

Medium
Protein bar oil and crayon on paper
Dimensions
overall: 55.9 x 38.1 cm
Year
2020
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Para Site Benefit Auction

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Mohn Art Collective

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