Jo Dennis: Artist in residence
Past exhibition
Overview
Inspired by the book Horizontal Vertigo, Juan Villoro. I approached the city not as a static backdrop, but as a dynamic entity where makeshift repairs and ad-hoc constructions function as a visible record of time and human interaction.
"During my two-month residency at Studio Lazcano in Mexico City, my research involved extensive walking and photography to develop a new series of paintings. My focus on the urban landscape began in London over 15 years ago, and I found a similar sense of historical layers in Mexico City. Inspired by the book Horizontal Vertigo, Juan Villoro. I approached the city not as a static backdrop, but as a dynamic entity where makeshift repairs and ad-hoc constructions function as a visible record of time and human interaction.
The work explores how this constant mending and adaptation embeds the urban environment with a sense of belonging, creating a shared, subconscious history. I am interested in the beauty of ruination and dereliction—places that are often overlooked yet serve as sites for personal reflection on our fragmented memories. The paintings capture this disjointed, non-linear experience of the city, paralleling the way our own recollections are pieced together from disparate moments. This was evident during visits to the ancient city of Teotihuacán and the Templo Mayor, where the weight of history is palpable. In the quiet, cobblestone streets of San Ángel, where the residency is based, I found a more intimate connection to this same layered history". Jo Dennis
Installation Views
