On the occasion of theARCOlisboathe MAAT museum of the Portuguese capital opened 3 new pavilions, including one dedicated to the urban garden of the Cuban artist Carlos Garaicoa: “I was never a surrealist until today"which occupies the oval gallery of the kunsthalle.
The artist had previously devoted himself to political and social issues, exploring these themes through architectural models, again within the context of the urban garden. Thus, this continuation of his work uses a series of street lamps that illuminate and dim, to create the illusion of a living organism within the set space.
The project explores the relationship between the individual and the city, between architecture and town planning, and the thin line between reality and fiction.
Carlos Garaicoa, in a recent interview with the magazine Designboomrevealed some details about the project:
How did the project initially come to life?
This work began as a scale model about three metres high, using materials and small everyday objects such as lamps, trees and other things I found in model shops. When I was invited to work at the MAAT museum in Lisbon, I realised that the shape of the gallery was very special. Keeping this in mind, I decided not to pursue it in a rational way, but to pursue the idea of a landscape assaulted by human touch.
I wanted to create a breathing body. I tried to maintain the rhythm of breathing by turning the lights on and off. I wanted the architecture to come alive. I believe that more than what you create, it is important how you direct and accompany the viewer's gaze.
How much of Havana (the artist's home town) is there in the inspiration for this work?
Havana is a boundless city full of complexities, but it has several traits that set it apart and this is something I exploited a lot. The language of power, aesthetics and politics. I started making a series of interventions in Havana during the 1990s and this made me realise that it was a city with great material. If you look at my work you can find writings, photographs and installations derived from what I found on the streets and which are the result of a gigantic research work. I would say that the 80% of my work is documentary, a documentation of reality that attempts to put information into circulation.
Themes of MAAT Lisbon's Urban Garden
I believe that the Surrealism was a really important political avant-garde movement that touched contemporary art in a particular way. The Surrealists' way of being radical, their way of using language, the way they provoked and attacked the system: I wanted to take these ideas and feelings and give shape to my idea of Surrealism, this chaotic, shapeless mass, creating a small crack in reality.
If I have a role as an artist in society, I think it is to try to be in the middle of it, as someone who uses language and the power to shape it, to translate it into real things.
"Not ever been a surrealist until today"will be on show at the MAAT Museum (Museum of Art Architecture & Technology) in Lisbon until 19 September 2017.
