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FROM MOTHER EARTH TO MOTHER BOARD. 2024
"From Mother Earth to Motherboard" establishes a profound dialogue between colonial and modern narratives, using 16th-century texts as reference points. By contrasting De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola with Nueva Crónica y Buen Gobierno by Guaman Poma, Jarrín critiques how extractive practices and colonialism have shaped our contemporary perceptions of technology. The piece is crafted from an etched copper plate using a chemical process characteristic of artisanal circuit construction, suggesting a link between early extractions of natural resources and current technological dependence. This work not only highlights the history of exploitation but also incorporates spiritual elements of the earth, often overlooked by dominant narratives of modern technology, thereby questioning how contemporary civilization relates to its material and spiritual environment.
In his second work, "Dissection from A to B," Jarrín presents 24 iron pickaxes of varying sizes scattered throughout the gallery space, evoking a geological cross-section similar to those found in De Re Metallica. This installation seeks to reflect on the primordial act of breaking the earth, a process that has been fundamental to agriculture and mining since ancient times. By transforming ordinary tools into art, Jarrín invites viewers to consider the historical and functional significance of these objects, generating a dialogue between the past and the present, as well as between form and function. The arrangement of the pickaxes in the space suggests a narrative about the impact of human intervention on the land while also questioning the implications of the technologies we use to shape our environment.
The general curator of the exhibition, Simon Speiser, has carefully selected a series of contemporary Ecuadorian artists who work at the intersection of nature and technology, reflecting the concerns and aspirations of the current Ecuadorian context. Under the title Tiempo de Siembra, the exhibition draws inspiration from the Andean concept of "Sumac Kawsay" or "good living," which was included in the Ecuadorian constitution in 2009. This concept seeks to promote a more harmonious and sustainable approach to life, emphasizing the need to recognize the rights of nature as an extension of human rights. Speiser highlights how this thinking influences contemporary Ecuadorian art, where many artists, including Jarrín, address the implications of extractive technologies and explore forms of symbiotic coexistence between ancestral knowledge and contemporary innovations. Thus, Tiempo de Siembra becomes a space not only for the exhibition of artworks but also for reflection on the relationship between humanity, nature, and technology in the current Ecuadorian context.
aquiles jarrin .
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