In the field of new aesthetics and formats of photographic landscaping, the Tropisms duo exhibition moves away from the idealized romantic tradition and focuses on aspects such as the complicated relationship between the human being and his or her own impact on the environment or the reconstruction of the individual memory through the landscape. Mati Martí and Ester Pegueroles, both ex-students of the University Master in Photography, Art and Technique of the Universitat Politècnica de València, are two artists who use the landscape as a way to tell stories of the past.
On the one hand Mati Martí shows the present of the forest of the Dehesa (Valencia), transformed into a Franco era by an urban plan that did not come to an end due to citizen opposition, leaving a unique landscape that combines buildings and nature. With this work ―”Boom Territory”― the artist invites to reflect on a desired future but already impossible for this Natural Park, playing to leave practically invisible all these constructions with the complicity of the text. For its part, Ester Pegueroles participates with the project “KM.0″ showing a landscape that lives in the memory of those whose freedom is constrained by barriers to fulfill their yearnings. The artist takes as a starting point the conversations she maintains with the students of the school of the Penitentiary Center of Albocasser II (Castellón), who asked to write the description of “a place remembered”. Based on her writings, the artist initiates a series of itineraries that stand as physical correlates of the memories of the inmates, a way of overcoming the barriers that keep them isolated.
Tropismos is the first activity carried out by LABi (Laboratory of thought, creation and diffusion of the imatge) in the space of La Posta Foundation – Image Research Center. LABi is a project of the University Master in Photography, Art and Technique of the UPV, coordinated by Julia Castelló and Ali A. Maderuelo, which stands as a space in which to experiment and investigate new ways of studying and understanding the image in connection with citizen concerns. Between January and May 2017 LABi intends to develop a program that will include exhibitions and projections in La Posta Foundation space, as well as participatory events such as talks and workshops.
“Boom Territory”, by Mati Martí, for sale here
