carlos garaicoa creates an urban garden within the MAAT museum in lisbon

on the occasion of ARCOlisboa, the MAAT musuem located in lisbon opened three new exhibitions including a large scale exhibition by cuban artist carlos garaicoa: ‘yo nunca he sido surrelista hasta el día de hoy’ which occupies the kunsthalle’s oval gallery. the artist who has previously illustrated social and political issues through architectural models has explored these themes within the context of an urban garden. this extension of his work uses a series of street lamps which illuminate and dim to create the illusion of a living organism inside the space. 

image by bruno lopes

the site-specific project presented at the MAAT museum (museum of art, architecture, technology) titled ‘yo nunca he sido surrelista hasta el día de hoy’ – ‘I’ve never been surrealistic until today’ – explores the relationship between the individual and the city, architecture and urbanism, and the subtle line between reality and fiction. designboom spoke with carlos garaicoa within the exhibition where he told us more about how the project was developed.    

designboom: can you tell us how the project was first initiated?

carlos garaicoa: this piece was originally born as a model of around three meters, which used materials and small objects such as lamps, trees etc that I found in shops from model makers. when I was invited here to intervene within the space I realised the shape of the gallery was quite particular. with this in mind I decided not to make something rational but instead bring this idea of a landscape attacked by the human touch.

image by bruno lopes

DB: what did you aim to achieve through this installation?

CG: I wanted to create a breathing body. I tried to keep the rhythm of the breath by having the lights fade in and out. I wanted the architecture to be alive. I believe it’s not always about what you create, it’s about how you direct the line of sight of the viewer.

image by bruno lopes

DB: does the installation draw upon the city of havana where you are from?

CG: havana is a big and complex city, but it has a lot of contradictions which is something that I use a lot. the language of power, the language of aesthetic and the language of politics. I started to do a lot of interventions in havana in the 90s and then I started to realise that the city was a great material. if you look at my work you can find writing, photography and installations. I believe I found it on the street, it’s a really big research project. I think 80 percent of my work is documentary, I believe this piece is a documentation of reality, you just move a little bit the information.

image by bruno lopes

DB: does this piece draw upon any particular themes?

CG: surrealism. I believe that it was a very important and political avant-garde movement that touched contemporary art. in the way that they were radical, in the way that they used language, the way that they provoked an attack on the system. I wanted to bring this idea of surrealism, this chaotic thing by creating a little cut in reality.

image by bruno lopes

DB: how would you describe your role as an artist?

CG: I think that if I have a role it is to try and be in the middle, as a person who uses language and the power to use it and the power to translate this into something.

‘yo nunca he sido surrelista hasta el día de hoy’ is on display at the MAAT museum until the 19th of september 2017.

image © oak taylor-smith courtesy of estudios carlos garaicoa