| We often forget the differences between reality and its representation. In a world where we are exposed to thousands of images every day, we sometimes come to believe that what we see reproduced truly exists. Although we are aware that reality is far richer in nuances and possible interpretations, we rarely question the dogma of the icon.
Leopoldo Ferrán and Agustina Otero explore these concepts in their installation La trinxera líquida (The Liquid Trench). At first glance, they present us with an imaginary, captivating and unreal landscape. This landscape has no boundaries – or rather, it has illusory ones: the bars that separate us serve little purpose, as this invented reality seeps in. Its counterpoint is found in the fish tanks, inside which lies a representation that only tenuously belongs to our language. Water is not our natural element, and this representation once again takes on a fantastical and imaginary dimension. The curved glass of the container separates two worlds, one real and the other fictitious. Like the frame of a painting, the fish tank encloses its own simulation. The external environment, however, is far from inviting. The aggressive structures of the walls seem to encroach on a space that should belong to us, concentrating our presence in the centre of the room.
Invisible Circles seeks to explore the environments that surround us – the landscapes, both physical and social that shape our world. It seemed only logical to begin this journey by examining how we relate to our surroundings, how we represent them and how we live within them. Ferrán and Otero’s work reminds us that reality is an elusive concept and that, no matter how much we try to shelter ourselves, we can never construct a true refuge – a liquid trench – within the hostile environment we inhabit.
About the Artists
Leopoldo Ferrán (Irún, Guipúzcoa, 1963) and Agustina Otero (León, 1960) have been working together since 1994. This year, they have presented Cartografía para el corredor de un delta sin mar (Cartography for the Corridor of a Sea-less Delta) at the Museo Gustavo de Maeztu in Estella (Navarra); Tutto sono isole (Everything Is Islands) at the Depósito de Aguas de Vitoria; and En el jardín del perfume varado (In the Garden of the Stranded Perfume) at Spazio Temporaneo de Arte Fabrika in Rovereto, Italy.
Ferran Barenblit
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