In José at Rose Easton, London, the artist considers the culture and experiences that have shaped her and her practice
In her first solo show at Rose Easton, Arlette takes a moment to reflect before continuing forward. Titled after the Mexican artist’s father, she considers the culture and experiences that have shaped her and her practice. Metal, which Arlette is known for manipulating into wearable art, dominates, but here the artist uses it to create objects for contemplation rather than adornment. She uses metal to frame painted canvases or to provide the canvas itself, the images here referencing her upbringing in a community of rancheros, focusing on the animals, chickens and horses that her father raised. Arlette’s work includes the recurring motif of brick walls, over which she places her heterogeneous typography – part simple serif font, exaggerated cursive and tightly packed graffiti-esque lettering. Looking back may feel premature for a twenty-five-year-old artist who only graduated from London’s Central Saint Martins college in 2022, but Arlette has already shown at Tate Modern and created bespoke pieces for music stars Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott. Considering what has contributed to the distinctive style that has facilitated this spate of success, José is an exercise in gratitude.
On the wall opposite the entrance is José (all works 2023), in which Arlette layers and engraves thin pieces of metal, to create an intricate image of a rooster. Its wings and talons are splayed as if about to catch prey. The work has an inscription that translates to ‘if you knew how much I loved you, you would cry with happiness’. While this demonstrates filial love and appreciation, the phrases on Arlette’s coin-operated ride Trapichero have a different tone. Cast entirely in silvery metal (a reference to her father’s silver-producing hometown of Zacatecas), it draws on the form of a mechanical horse. However, it is far from any equine norm, with its wrinkly skin and the four horns on its back. Its platform, stirrups and coin slot bear words including ‘reconciliation’ and ‘I miss my innocence’. The dismantling of childhood illusions suggested in these texts is mirrored in the object’s severed head and limbs. Arlette’s father played a key role in this inevitable, painful process. Testicle 1 depicts a simple image of a testicle and draws from Arlette’s experience seeing her father castrate an animal. This bas-relief work is carved from volcanic rock, hung high on the gallery’s east-facing wall like a Christian icon. Perhaps it is a reminder to keep faith in the value of one’s experiences despite their discomforts.
Volcanic rock is also used in Holy Water, which resembles a piscina – a basin used for washing communion vessels. Above the basin is a silvery metalwork with a cross and two dice, a knife piercing a heart. The text here reads, ‘take a coin or revive your worst memory’. Chance, sacrifice and faith intermingle to underscore the oblatory tone of the exhibition – Arlette feels she owes much to her past and pays tribute to it. The inscription on the face of the vending machine that allows visitors to purchase smaller, wearable works translates to ‘Everything that you desire for me, may God multiply for you’. She blesses what has moulded her thus far as she embarks hopefully down the road ahead.
José at Rose Easton, London, through 4 November
