Priscilla Monge

PRISCILLA MONGE (Costa Rica, 1968).
“Beauty Is a Matter of Life and Death,” from the series *A Matter of Life and Death*, 2003.
Color photograph on Kodak Endura Metallic paper. Print 1/5.
Includes a label from the Juana de Aizpuru Gallery.
Measurements: 100 x 150 cm; 107 x 156 cm (frame).
*Beauty Is a Matter of Life and Death*, part of the *It’s a Matter of Life and Death* series, is one of the most significant works within this body of work, as it features one of the series’ most complex compositions. Through a scene that appears domestic and elegant, Monge constructs an image steeped in ambiguity. The formal beauty of the composition immediately catches the eye, but elements soon emerge that alter that first impression: the cups altered with words inscribed in the coffee grounds, the remnants, the marks, and the hidden allusions introduce a sense of fragility that completely transforms the interpretation of the image. This duality between seduction and violence constitutes one of the fundamental traits of Monge’s artistic practice. Furthermore, the choice of title, Beauty Is a Matter of Life and Death, introduces a critical reflection on the pressure exerted by aesthetic and social norms.
Priscilla Monge is one of the most renowned contemporary Latin American artists, known for a body of work that combines photography, installation, sculpture, video, and altered objects. She studied at the University of Costa Rica, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis on painting. During the 1990s and 2000s, she established an international career by participating in some of the leading exhibitions dedicated to contemporary Latin American art. Her work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MADC) in San José, the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires (MALBA), the Museo del Barrio in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey (MARCO), and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla y León (MUSAC), among others. She has participated in major international events such as the Venice Biennale, the São Paulo Biennial, the Havana Biennial, and various group exhibitions dedicated to Latin American art and contemporary feminist practices. Throughout her career, she has received major awards, including Costa Rica’s Aquileo J. Echeverría National Culture Award in the Visual Arts, one of her country’s highest cultural honors.
Her work is part of prominent public and private collections, including those of the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA), the Museum of Modern Art of Mexico, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castile and León (MUSAC), the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design of Costa Rica, as well as institutional and private collections in Latin America, the United States, and Europe.