OLAM HABA, THE WORLD TO COME, 2018
Away from my habitual themes of representation by a concrete drive, and through a social and architectural journey, on occasions from an autobiographical vision, this project is defined by a process of investigation on tendencies, intensities, forms and signs of the Jewish cultural identity in London today. An artistic experiment articulated in different expressions (photography, video-installation, drawings and sculptures) all of which allow and help me to focus on my own journey without forgetting history. I believe it takes the pulse of both the past as well as the present and future of Jewish Life, Tradition and Establishment to the actual very diverse residential and transient Jewish communities in London.
Using this roadmap, I have opened different lines of research and representation.
ROUTES
Sculptures: Pine wood, variable measurements; 24 Drawings Polypropylene paper, Red Ink, 32 x 44 cm.
I recorded all my tours of the countless streets of London where Jewish communities are or were settled with GPS, and then, using the key downloaded data, I transferred and reinterpreted all that information into drawings and sculptures. They represent the demographic changes of the Jewish communities of London and its surrounding suburbs, addressing the presence and absence of these communities in the different settlements around city.
ARCHITECTURE
Printing on Rag Photographique 310 gr paper with HP Vivera K3 Ultrachrome mineral pigment inks. Mounted on 10mm Kapafix. Matte white lacquered wood trim, 50 Photographs 24 x 30 cm; 9 Photographs 46 x 70 cm; 3 Photographs 86 x 130 cm.
I explored the Jewish Identity through photography, the coherency between function and space and the conversion of that space through certain characteristics that contribute to forging a sense of identity of the people, life’s experience and the emotional ties.
I also analyse aspects such as presence and absence, the building's own identity versus identity based on its function and its reverse situation, often guided by demographic changes in the same city.
Olam haba, The World to Come, Centro Sefarad-Israel, Madrid
SOCIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY- 237 Photographies Copia RC dig.Auto 15 x 20 cm
FILM DOCUMENTARIES - "End and Beginning" - "To Be Buried"
I explore how some factors stem from Judaism, others from interaction of Jews with the society that surrounds them and others affected by social and cultural dynamics of the Jewish communities. The contemporary identity, accessibility as a universal rights, speaking spaces for communities and for the surrounding society, LGBTQ+ rights, modern social inclusion, etc.
From the ultra orthodox communities, geometric and precise in their interrelations, with an exultant fervour for worship, an aggressive and superstitious survival and the identity conflict that is generated within some members, to a more open and accepting Judaism, like the liberals or progressive sectors, where there is an extraordinary drive, but also a great risk: assimilation.
