kurimanzutto is pleased to present Caída libre, the most recent solo exhibition by Miguel Calderón. In falconry, when birds hunt they create a bridge between the falconer and the skies, getting lost from sight behind the clouds, yet always returning to the glove, faithful to the symbiotic relationship they have established. For Miguel Calderón, falcons symbolize the connection between human and nature; they represent an opportunity to understand that which separates us from animals.

The film work on view in Caída libre explores this link through a real life character, a falconer known as Chameleon. The camera follows him over the course of twenty-four hours, from his shift as a bouncer at a nightclub in the city, until he emerges at dawn to take his falcon out hunting. The protagonist confesses his fondness for the bird, on which he depends as if it were an anxiolytic drug to face reality. The film also subtly delves into the parallelism between the animal instinct to hunt and the implications involved in killing a human being.

Calderón's interest lies not only in birds of prey, but also in the objects associated with falconry: custom artifacts that reflect their maker, as well as the history of each bird. Despite their status as objects of everyday use, these perches are imbued with an aura of ritual. From this view, the artist perceives an affinity with contemporary sculpture, as he collects and reconstructs them, finally exhibiting them in a context removed from its original purpose.

Caída libre also consists of photographs taken by Calderón during his trips and film shoots. These images offer a glimpse of the falconer’s universe through the traces of the hawk’s presence, examining the connective relationships that can exist with animals beyond words.