single channel video, HD, stereo, color, 9’15’’, 2023
installation, 2025
Installation view <We may be separated like islands, but,>, Daegu Art Factory, South Korea, 2025
A mystical being emerges from the depths of the river and sea, traversing the monumental landscapes of the city. In response to a controversial proposal by a far-right politician advocating for the privatization of the sea and whales under the guise of 'saving' them, the 'Tanu' project manifests slow resistance against extractivism and potential ecocide.
Tanu is re-imagined figure inspired by spiritual rite of Selk’nam, an indigenous group from southern Patagonia(Tierra del Fuego). They were known to deeply connect with cetaceans, especially because finding a stranded whale conveys their temporary settlement and therefore a new generation. They are now considered extinct as a tribe, due to gold mining and the excessive farming in the 20th Century which led to genocide of the Selk'nam.
Tanu's path eventually intersects with Malón de la Paz (Peace Incursion), an indigenous sit-in protest group from northwestern Argentina, Jujuy and Salta. This region is marked by large-scale lithium mining operations that have inflicted severe environmental contamination. Their 77 years of fight to reclaim their land continues with the spirit of Pachamama.
In the installation, the narrative rewinds through five posters, portraying Tanu's emergence as if it were an activist leaflet, yet revealing their binary points. The sixth poster takes inspiration from a poem by Kim Hyesoon (South Korea, 1955), turning a political voice into an imaginative space, exploring spheres between art and activism.
Installation view <We may be separated like islands, but,>, Daegu Art Factory, South Korea, 2025
The Sea is Not Private
6 poster series, digital print, 841 x 1189, 2023-2025
1. EL MAR NO ES PRIVADO 2. EL MAR NO ES PÚBLICO 3. LA TIERRA NO ES PRIVADA 4. LA TIERRA NO ES PÚBLICA 5. EL ESPACIO NO ES PRIVADO 6. ¿Alrededor de quién va a girar la luna cuando ya no esté la tierra?
1. The Sea is Not Private 2. The Sea is Not Public 3. The Land is Not Private 4. The Land is Not Public 5. The Space is Not Private 6. Who will the Moon circle When the Earth dies?
1. 바다는 사유물이 아니다 2. 바다는 공공의 것이 아니다 3. 땅은 사유물이 아니다 4. 땅은 공공의 것이 아니다 5. 우주는 사유물이 아니다 6. 지구가 죽으면 달은 누굴 돌지?
*The project is realized within the international residency program supported by Arko Art Council Korea, and Projecto ACE, Buenos Aires, Argentina.