Digital show by Paul Rosero Contreras
ADRIFT/ becoming ocean
A journey through the eyes of an iceberg adrift on the Pacific Ocean, from Antarctica to the Galápagos Islands…
ADRIFT/ becoming ocean is a new digital show by Paul Rosero Contreras which displays the results of his new researches in 2020 and previous expeditions to Galapagos Islands (2016-2019), Etna, Stromboli (2019), Antarctica (2013) and Amazonia (2013) on V-Art platform.
You can see magnetizing shots of underwater volcanoes, feel the humidity of the Amazonian jungle and the icy surface of Antarctic icebergs. You submerge in the other reality to encounter the wisest and most enigmatic substance on Earth – Water, from a small drop on a spider's net through the underwater universe to a huge glacier travelling in the Ocean…
The ice is melting. It is liquefying. In the water, waves emerge and expand. What is regional becomes planetary; matter becomes force. The relationship between bodies—largely liquid—and the planet is one of equivalence and reciprocity, it is embodied. Liquid vibrations form an intimate connection with the Earth. We are material bodies floating on water. Unique collective experiences with earth and water can conceptually transform into ways of being in the world. A subject mediated by the environment becomes a subject in the environment. An iceberg breaks apart from a glacier in the South Pole and starts a journey to the center of the planet.
The virtual space presents digital sculptures, sound art, video and photo.
Watch online opening
Anna Shvets, founder and CEO TAtchers' ART Management
Anastasia Gliebova, co-founder and CEO V-Art platform
Paul Rosero Contreras, artist
Anna Shvets, founder and CEO TAtchers' ART Management
Anastasia Gliebova, co-founder and CEO V-Art platform
Paul Rosero Contreras, artist
The virtual exhibition ADRIFT/ becoming ocean is presented in TAtchers' Art Space on V-art platform. TATCHERS' ART SPACE – a digital gallery where audiences will encounter artists and ideas from around the world.
V-art is an online platform to exhibit, sell and collect Digital Art. This platform is the first multifunctional ecosystem for Digital Art that covers a full cycle of services for digital art as an asset.
https://v-art.digital/
Paul Rosero Contreras is a multimedia artist working with speculative realism, scientific information and fictional narratives. His body of work intertwines distinct epistemologies, ranging from indigenous thinking to the history of science. It explores topics related to geopolitics, interspecies reciprocity, environmental issues and experimentation on future sustainable settings. His projects have been exhibited at the world's best venues and are regularly presented at leading art events. Currently, Rosero teaches and conducts research at San Francisco de Quito University, Ecuador.
Paul Rosero Contreras
— "An iceberg breaks apart from a glacier in the South Pole and starts a journey to the center of the planet…" – How did you come to this beautiful idea, what did inspire you?
The life of an iceberg is a lonely life adrift. However, it is closely related to all life on earth and the life of humankind by extension. The idea of taking the journey of an iceberg as a starting point relies on the fact that water – at its solid state – contains the possibility of emergence and ecosystems develop.
— Several new works made in 2020 are exposed at this show as a digital sculpture. Is it your first experience in digital sculpture?
No. Back in 2011 I did a VR experience related to the interconnection between the two hemispheres of the human brain. At that time, it was part of a research on how the human brain reacts to audiovisual stimuli. I also took part of this show with a digital sculpture.
— Topics, themes of new research in 2020 – what is it about?
I'm conducting research on plant intelligence and transoceanic travels related to the history of quinine. On the other hand, I'm part of a big team of people working on ocean restoration in the South Pacific. Both projects are long-span endeavors and are also part of my work as a professor.
No. Back in 2011 I did a VR experience related to the interconnection between the two hemispheres of the human brain. At that time, it was part of a research on how the human brain reacts to audiovisual stimuli. I also took part of this show with a digital sculpture.
— Topics, themes of new research in 2020 – what is it about?
I'm conducting research on plant intelligence and transoceanic travels related to the history of quinine. On the other hand, I'm part of a big team of people working on ocean restoration in the South Pacific. Both projects are long-span endeavors and are also part of my work as a professor.
— What is the core (essence) of this exposition? In one word.
Water / life.
— Is this your first experience of making online exhibition?
Since we got in the pandemic, it is my first solo show in a digital format. But, as I mentioned before, a few months ago, I took part in another show at Epoch Gallery and we also opened a virtual gallery at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, where I teach.
— What do you think about it, how does it feel for you?
It is a good option during the pandemic. I feel it allows us to imagine differently with the chance to make otherworldly installations.
— What were the main problems or difficulties you had to come across with during the process of preparation?
Not much. However, it is a slow process, since there is an international team working in different parts of the project. This is productive, but it creates a dependency on technology and internet bandwidth, which is something I'm critical of.
— What advantages of exposing has an online format for the artist?
I'm not sure yet. So far, I think it is just another way to show art and distribute ideas. But we are physical entities acting on a physical world, then the relationship between humans and materials is an essential one.
— Would you like to make your next exhibition online?
I hope not. I do enjoy this process, but I would like to make the next one in a physical format.
More ideas and information about artistic practice of Paul Rosero Contreras and his philosophical vision you can find in this article – The World in Flames: Eruptions, Meltings, and Chromatic Phenomena.