Conglomerado, Ciudad sola, and Sindominio
Monday, 24 June 2024 22:57
Written by Raúl Eduardo González
On the other hand, while we are reading these lines, it is likely that, drawn by the urban mirage, by the hope of living in cities, thousands of peasants, residents of rural areas around the world, are relocating their homes to a city near their original regions, or worse, that the territorial expansion of large urban concentrations has reached their settlements, turning their villages into part of the belts of misery.
Conglomerado, Ciudad sola, and Sindominio seek to provoke reflection on the unstoppable exodus—and its consequences—that is occurring worldwide, from rural areas to cities, as well as the environmental impact resulting from the unchecked and chaotic growth of large urban concentrations.
With these sculptures, I try to showcase the condition of abandoned homes, as once again, the inhabitants leave them in search of new horizons. This, in turn, speaks to humanity's inability to learn from its own mistakes, of which anthropocentrism may be one of the most serious.
The first series, Conglomerado, was built as part of the research Application of metallic oxides and mineral pigments to Terra sigillata, using commercial clays for ceramic sculpture, carried out during the Doctorate in Arts at the University of Guanajuato.
The second, Ciudad sola, was created for the artistic commission of the XIV FEMSA Biennial "Inestimable Azar. Gestures of a command-free inventiveness," which took place in the cities of Morelia and Pátzcuaro from February 2020 to February 2021.
In Cervantes' pieces, the architectural combines with the mineral or the vegetal, alluding to ruins or abandonment. Thus, the artist seems to emphasize a condition of difficult habitability present in large cities due to their overcrowding, excessive consumption of resources, and physical and social divisions.
Finally, Sindominio was created to participate in the call for the III Olga Costa Biennial of painting and sculpture in 2023, where it won First Place in the Sculpture category.
The indifference and depersonalization of inhabitants and neighborhoods, of homes, dominate the atmosphere, and what made sense in pristine communities now appears contradictory and ambiguous. We are alone, inventing complacent worlds. According to Lipovetsky, in this postmodern culture, there is a certain ideological apathy caused, to some extent, by information oversaturation. He defines it as a society "where mass indifference reigns, where the feeling of repetition and stagnation dominates, where private autonomy is not discussed..." (The Age of the Void, 2005).
On the other hand, while we are reading these lines, it is likely that, drawn by the urban mirage, by the hope of living in cities, thousands of peasants, residents of rural areas around the world, are relocating their homes to a city near their original regions, or worse, that the territorial expansion of large urban concentrations has reached their settlements, turning their villages into part of the belts of misery.
Conglomerado, Ciudad sola, and Sindominio seek to provoke reflection on the unstoppable exodus—and its consequences—that is occurring worldwide, from rural areas to cities, as well as the environmental impact resulting from the unchecked and chaotic growth of large urban concentrations.
With these sculptures, I try to showcase the condition of abandoned homes, as once again, the inhabitants leave them in search of new horizons. This, in turn, speaks to humanity's inability to learn from its own mistakes, of which anthropocentrism may be one of the most serious.
The first series, Conglomerado, was built as part of the research Application of metallic oxides and mineral pigments to Terra sigillata, using commercial clays for ceramic sculpture, carried out during the Doctorate in Arts at the University of Guanajuato.
The second, Ciudad sola, was created for the artistic commission of the XIV FEMSA Biennial "Inestimable Azar. Gestures of a command-free inventiveness," which took place in the cities of Morelia and Pátzcuaro from February 2020 to February 2021.
In Cervantes' pieces, the architectural combines with the mineral or the vegetal, alluding to ruins or abandonment. Thus, the artist seems to emphasize a condition of difficult habitability present in large cities due to their overcrowding, excessive consumption of resources, and physical and social divisions.
Daniel Garza Usabiaga
Artistic Director of the XIV FEMSA Biennial
Artistic Director of the XIV FEMSA Biennial
Finally, Sindominio was created to participate in the call for the III Olga Costa Biennial of painting and sculpture in 2023, where it won First Place in the Sculpture category.