This ultra-modern subject’s pace of life makes us question his human uniqueness: his state of being exists in tension between his self as an individual and his self as a part of the crowd. His diffuse, almost non-existent identity meanders through non-places, collective gathering points and transitory locations such as underground stations, airports and motorways, yet paradoxically he seems condemned to pass through them as a solitary figure. Chromatic subjectivities are blurred in straight lines, transcending his daily transit and reproducing a culture that is now found in all the world’s major cities.
The work of Chilean artist Felipe Lavín (Santiago de Chile, 1987) is the reflection of a dehumanised society in which individuals increasingly lose their identity as their lives are absorbed by the hyper-connectivity made possible through globalisation and technological advances. Weighed down with mundane problems, they forget about their own interests and neglect their relationships with the people...closest to them, leaving their own identities to fade into the background.
But what would happen if the subject were to suddenly step out of this everyday life and find himself immersed in a different scenario, forcing him to confront his own origins? Would he be capable of observing a world he had turned his back on, and of reconnecting with it? Would he be able to rediscover his own identity, or would he be unable to break with his programming for a life where inertia prevents him from questioning the way he conducts his existence?
According to the artist, this series ‘has mutated over time to further exaggerate the concepts of depersonalisation, solitude and individualism’, emphasising the words of French anthropologist Marc Augé: ‘on the metro, we repeatedly brush against the stories of others without ever discovering them’.
The exhibition refers to works produced during the A.I.R. Remote artistic residency in the city of Svedje in Sweden in May 2019, led by Chilean artist Juan Castillo. These works were due to be exhibited in 2020 at the Konstfack (University of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm, financed by the Chilean government in conjunction with the Chilean Embassy in Sweden. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the exhibition was cancelled.
Now these works will be exhibited at the Ponce+Robles gallery, together with earlier and later works from the DESVANECIDOS (FADING AWAY) series (2018-2022).
The exhibition features videos and photographs from various cities around the world (Madrid, Montreal, Svedje, Stockholm, Frankfurt, NYC and CDMX). The artist’s main themes are hyper-modernity, hyper-consumerism, post-photography and hedonism.
Felipe Lavín is a Chilean photographer and artist, born in Santiago in 1987. He graduated from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile’s Construction Engineering School -where he also participated in several photography courses and workshops. During a student exchange to Canada in 2010 he attended to digital photography classes at the University of Montreal, where he deepened his interest in urban and architectural image.
Imágenes de la Exposición
Desvanecidos 1
Entrada actualizada el el 04 ene de 2024
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