Venus and Mars (in a new light), 2024
Oil on linen
76 x 170 cm

Nelson Hernández is a painter living and working in Chile. His artwork is a blend of references and appropriations from both popular culture and art history, often recontextualizing iconic images through painting. These works are enriched with elements of irony and humor, aimed at transforming the original meanings and playfully challenging what is familiar. This deliberate juxtaposition of the old and the new, the revered and the popular, aims to engage viewers in a conversation and invites them to see widely known images through a new lens.

In this work, the phrase “in a new light” assumes a literal and renewed significance. Based on Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, the painting responds to changes in illumination from an RGB light strip. This display prompts a reconsideration of the concept of the showcase and the idea of recontextualization, not just of this particular painting but also of the roles depicted in the original artwork.