On the occasion of its monthly display at Chosi - one at a time, Artphilein Foundation presents the work of Luiz Simoes, 'Emptiness', 2013, an intimate reflection of the artist on migration and death.
"In the winter of 1988, on a solo trip through Algeria, I met a Nigerian man on his way to Europe. All he had were the little savings of his family invested in the dream that one family member would have a better life and might one day help them.
Twenty years had passed since that encounter, when in the desolate plain of sand and salt called Chott El Djerid in Tunisia, a tiny white dot caught my eye. Travelling slowly and in a contemplative way I strayed a few hundred meters from my pathtowards that strange white spot. When I was only few meters from it, I realized what it was. A human body in a partial...state of putrefaction was eternally resting in the middle of that vast emptiness. Around it there was not a backpack, not a purse, not a simple plastic bottle with water ... only an old pair of shoes a few meters away. The last thing he left behind.
I felt a deep sense of grief and sadness at the thought that in the absence of news, somewhere, and at some time, someone would remain in doubt, between the feelings of having been forgotten or having lost a loved one."
Entrada actualizada el el 05 abr de 2024
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