Espectadores
Arquitecturas de la locura

Artist name

León Ferrari

Artist year born

1920

Artist year deceased

2013

Artwork make date

1981-2000

Artwork title translation

Spectators
Architecture of Madness

Artwork material

paper
diazotype

Artwork dimensions

height: 96cm
width: 96cm

Artwork type (categories)

Print

Accession method

Donated by León Ferrari 2001

Accession number

10:1-2001

Label text

Espectadores is one of a number of works on paper that Ferrari denominates Arquitecturas de la locura (Architecture of Madness). This work is composed of characters representing men and women, seen from above and posed as if walking. These ready-made symbols, commonly used to mark out the use of architectural plans, are impersonal and anonymous. Placed in rows that advance mechanically from the edge of the paper to its centre their repetition creates an impossible situation, with figures endlessly converging on an empty square at the centre (a square that seems to be the final destination for these diminutive people). In these works, Ferrari's take on society is charged with black humour and a surreally stated irony. Embarked on a senseless march towards nothing, the identikit figures exude alienation and generate a dark sense of expectation. As with the rest of the series, this work is a reproduction, made using heliography (a technique employed by architects to reproduce from blueprint plans). The original work can thus be multiplied ad infinitum, reflecting Ferrari's desire to make access to these architectures unlimited, and thus also to excise any material value from their status as works of art.
Gabriela Salgado

Last updated date

2008