Santiago Sierra has always created works that perfectly blend artistic and industrial production. Despite their minimalism, Sierra’s works have made him famous because they are always closely linked to hot topics and used as a means of denouncing capitalism.
This link between art and current affairs is reconfirmed in his latest production “52 Canvas Exposed to Mexico City’s Air“, on display at LABOR in Mexico City until the end of January 2020.
The exhibition consists of 52 canvases – all in shades of gray – displayed in chromatic order from the lightest to the darkest. The fascinating aspect is that Santiago Sierra did not use any paint to color the white canvases, but exploited the smog of the Mexican capital, one of the most polluted cities in the world.
More than a year ago, the artist lacquered all 52 canvases and placed them in different parts of the city; every week Sierra took one canvas apart, thus obtaining at the beginning off-white canvases, ending with the last one practically black. If you pay attention and get closer to the works, you can also notice dust residues and hairs deposited on the lacquer.
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Before exposing the final result to the LABOR, Santiago Sierra had the material captured by the canvases analyzed, discovering the presence of particles of heavy materials and bacteria responsible for diseases such as conjunctivitis, respiratory complications, and skin rashes.
Although art manages to transform one of the most negative aspects of our contemporaneity into a work of art, here Santiago Sierra goes beyond aesthetic research – which, in any case, is not lacking – and through his 52 canvases clearly denounces the current policy and the lack of interest in environmental issues.
Credits: 52 CANVASES EXPOSED TO THE AIR OF MEXICO CITY. Labor Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico. November 2019.Courtesy of Studio Santiago Sierra
