San Francisco based artist, Mauricio Ancalmo has most recently worked with discarded objects such as sewing machines, word processors, 16mm film projectors and turntables as the principal characters in his theatre-sized installations. In these installations, such autonomous objects are introduced to 16mm film loops and intricately set up to interact with each other resulting in the production of camera-less films. The process procures from the idea of art that makes art, treating film as an ephemeral material, mixing it with performative elements, and residing in the realm of kinetic sculpture. 

Raised in El Salvador and the United States, Mauricio Ancalmo works from a dual cultural perspective, drawing on cultural and personal themes such as circumstance, assimilation, and isolation. His work through sound and image is reminiscent of personal artifacts based on experience, striving to grasp individuality within the collective conscience. 

For Baer Ridgway Exhibitions, Ancalmo presents new sculptural work from his sound/film installation series, as well as new mixed media work derived from these installations, revealing another layer of perception to his vastly complex works.