Ernesto Leal Cuba, b. 1971
Handwriting (Fuck off), 2020
Pencils on stockings
19 3/4 x 7 7/8 inches
50 x 20 cm
50 x 20 cm
Unique
Handwriting (Fuck off) is a 2020 sculptural piece created in Havana, featuring pencil remnants arranged over stockings. Composed of stubby, discarded pencils from the artist's Grammatical series—each still sharp enough...
Handwriting (Fuck off) is a 2020 sculptural piece created in Havana, featuring pencil remnants arranged over stockings. Composed of stubby, discarded pencils from the artist's Grammatical series—each still sharp enough to scratch a mark—the work transforms everyday writing tools into a wearable, gestural artifact. Tips jut forward aggressively, as if poised to defy or inscribe, blurring the line between object and action. It probes handwriting's raw mechanics: a tactile loop where hand, eye, and brain collide, turning script into a defiant fusion of form, stroke, and semantics, with the profane subtitle underscoring its irreverent edge.
Exhibitions
“Gramatical” (solo exhibition), Galería Elvira Moreno, Bogotá, Colombia, 2022 (Included multiple works from the Handwriting series, 2020, as part of the artist’s investigation of syntax, mark-making, and linguistic power.)
“Sintaxis” (solo exhibition), The Bonnier Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States, February 18 – April 29, 2023
Literature
“Ernesto Leal: Handwriting,” by François Vallée, Hypermedia Magazine, August 25, 2020 (Dedicated feature article discussing and illustrating the Handwriting series, including the use of pencils on stockings and gloves.)