el inicio, su principio Agustín Ortiz Herrera

About

The natural sciences, specifically those dedicated to the study of life, had a starting point with the proto-encyclopedia of Ulisse Aldrovandi (Bologna 1522-1605). His classification of living things laid the foundation for a specífic way of seeing the world. Monstrorum Historia, one of his volumes, included everything that was difficult for him to explain scientifically. This strange and somewhat marginal work collects everything xenos of the time, such as malformations in plants and animals, fossils of extinct species or legends of mythological animals. But surprisingly, it also includes a study of the female reproductive system, androgyny, and people of other races. The work fluidly moves between the pre-modern scientific yearning, the naturalization of fantastic superstition, racism, misogyny and aberrant prejudice, conceptual bases of the colonial eurocentric cosmogony. The question is how much of that substratum persists at the base of Western science and society.

In the artistic project “el inicio, su principio”, a selection of images from Aldrovandi’s work are hacked by living beings that are somewhat difficult to classify. Fungi are distinguished from plants in that they obtain their nutrients through enzyme digestion of organic matter, indicating their phylogenetic proximity to the human species. Until 1969 they were not classified as their own kingdom. On the other hand, bacteria are the main biological group to understand the network of life, it is considered that we only know a tiny part of the existing species, which resist being classified by modern taxonomic parameters.

During the period of the exhibition at Espai Souvenir, living beings will expand, colonizing the surfaces where the images are installed, influencing and transforming their iconography. The queer power of nature interferes in the cultural conception of life sciences, reminding us of its colonialist, racist and misogynist past.

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Agustín Ortiz Herrera’s artistic practice is developed in the fields of audiovisual, performance and installation. He uses these media to activate the queer perspective in a patriarchal-colonialist context nurtured by the dominance of audiovisual persuasion and the normative representation of memory. He studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona, and filmmaking at The New School University in New York. After a period working as a screenwriter, he returned to artistic practice by completing the Master of Fine Arts at the Konstfack College of Arts in Stockholm. His recent exhibitions and collaborations include, The tradition that runs through us, Center d’Art Santa Mónica, 2022, An accidental message on violence, Festival PLECS-Cultura Rizoma, 2022, Future Forest Diorama, La Escocesa-CREAF, artistic research project, 2022, Science Friction, The Symbiont Circle, CCCB, 2021, Other Times, The Green Parrot, 2021, Vanitas, Center d’Art Maristany, 2021, Queer Committee, Barcelona Loop Festival, 2021, Disorder Fictions, Hangar Public Program, 20/21, A colonial history of the cabinet-garden, GRAF Routes, 2021, To name. To possess. Critique of taxonomic practice, Artistic research project selected by La Capella/Barcelona Producció, 19/20, Artificialia: WunderChapel, Barcelona Loop Festival, 2020, Artificialia is Coming!, Polivalentes, Hangar 2020, Oblivion, KROPP, Uppsala Konsert & Kongress , 2019, Words of vision, Österbybruk, Sweden, 2018, Long-term empowerment, El umbral de primavera, Madrid, 2018. Agustín was a long-term resident at Hangar.org and received the Barcelona Production La Capella 2019/20 grant in the artistic research category, the OSIC artistic research scholarship, 2020 and 2022, and the Escocesa Ecotons artistic research scholarship in collaboration with CREAF, 2021/22. In 2021 his work Fungi Fantasy and their friends Crazy Bacteria was acquired by the MACBA collection.

Opening 5th October 2022 at 7pm
From October 6th to November 5th 2022
Open by appointment only: espai.souvenir@gmail.com

SOUVENIR – Space for cultural and artistic collaboration
Travessia de Sant Antoni 27 - 08012, Barcelona