The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Galería Mascota is honored to present Machteld Rullens’s (The Hague, 1988) first solo exhibition in Latin America titled “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” The title of the exhibition, inspired by the iconic 1966 western film, reflects Rullens’s exploration of the dualities within Mexico City by immersing not only herself but also her artistic process and materials. These materials which play a role in people’s everyday lives, such as discarded cardboard, are now reimagined and transformed into her wall objects.

The connection between the film and Rullens’s work lies in the narrative’s portrayal of characters who despise each other yet are forced to collaborate. The film presents a world driven by greed, deceit, love, and a chaotic game where each move leads inevitably to the next. Similarly, the works in this exhibition reflect that dynamic tension. Paint seeps into cardboard, resin layers fortify what was once fragile, and bolts turn humble surfaces into imitations of the metal sides of trucks that navigate the streets of Mexico City. Materials not originally designed to coexist come together harmoniously, as Rullens´s reshapes and rearranges cardboard boxes, converting something delicate into sturdy forms that evoke themes of play, composition, and architecture.

Rullens's artistic practice is rooted in the idea of blending opposites—the fine line between right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, strength and fragility. In doing so, she draws subtle inspiration from American artist Mary Heilmann, whose work fuses the analytical structures of Minimalism with a spontaneous, intuitive spirit. Rullens´s carries this ethos into her art, incorporating conceptual references to chessboards—symbolizing calculated movement and balance—while breathing new life into discarded materials. She masterfully coaxes these forgotten remnants into compositions that embody a harmonious interplay between the functional and the expressive.

This exhibition is deeply rooted in the context of Mexico, as the works have been made during a one-month residency near the San Cosme Market. Each material retains the aura of the environment it comes from, configuring both the work and the space they inhabit. Color is important as it conveys moods in the work. It reflects and inhales light. The layers of resin poured on top of the paint intensify that aspect. The ‘Crushed’ works within this show, the biggest Rullens has produced up until today, flirt with the idea of abstract expressionism while mimicking Mexican modernist architecture. It creates a dialogue that underscores the potential for transcendence in the everyday, inviting viewers to appreciate the beauty in simplicity and the sophistication in resourcefulness.