MARE MAGNVM: LA LLEGADA
[ MARE MAGNVM: The Arrival ]
Archival pigment print
7.5 × 5.75 inches / 19 x 14.5 cm
2021

MARE MAGNVM: La llegada (The Arrival) is a striking photographic series that addresses the universal and timely issue of migration. The series features characters wearing papier-mâché masks, each of which covers their faces, making them appear as archetypal representatives of any diasporic population. The characters' identities are obscured, emphasizing the universality of the migrant experience, and each photograph is stamped with a number, evoking the process of being processed by an immigration entity.

The lack of specificity in the characters' appearance is a deliberate choice by the artist to draw attention to the humanity behind migration. The photographs do not depict a specific time or place, but instead, they offer a timeless representation of migration across bodies of water, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and beyond.

The title, Mare Magnum, draws on the Latin term for the Mediterranean Sea, which the ancient Romans referred to as the Great Sea. It serves as a reminder of the historical significance of migration, and how it has shaped our world.

Through this series, the artist prompts the viewer to consider the experiences of migrants who undertake perilous journeys in search of a better life. The lack of information about the characters' origin and personal history invites the viewer to project their own experiences onto the photographs, fostering a deeper empathy and understanding of the challenges faced by migrants.

MARE MAGNVM: La llegada (The Arrival) is not only a powerful visual commentary on the current reality of migration, but it also serves as a warning of the challenges that lie ahead. The photographs stamped with numbers evoke the harsh reality of being processed by immigration entities, reminding us of the often-dehumanizing treatment of migrants.



EXHIBITIONS

MARE MAGNVM: La llegada
Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid - Spain
November 24, 2021 - January 15, 2022

MARE MAGNVM: La Llegada does not refer only to a single or specific event. No information is given on the characters’ origin or their personal history. Their faces are not visible, covered by papier-mâché masks typical from Peñafiel’s native Ecuador, that both humanize and depersonify these character. The identity of these people remains temporally and culturally ambiguous, and unspecific costuming transforms them into archetypal representatives of any diasporic population.

Mare Magnum (Great Sea in Latin) is the name Romans gave to the Mediterranean Sea. Although the artist constructs fictional characters, he points to real life scenes from the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, and from so many other sites of migration across bodies of water. The exhibition describes a reality that is already here, and is also an omen of one that is soon to come. 

This exhibition is part of a wider body of work titled MARE MAGNVM, which includes an immersive video installation that will be presented for the first time in 2022. Through video, animation and photography, the artist aims in this project to develop a variety of visual narratives in which he creates characters based on real stories of his own and of those close to him. In these narratives the artist weaves an alternative reality that reflects the results of migrational processes, using indirect references to contemporary historical events. The idea is to transmute these real stories into fictitious imagery that is universal at the same time, always keeping the essence of the original characters and situations. 

On View: MARE MAGNVM: La llegada series, and MARE MAGNVM: QVI VLTRA MARE VENIVNT series

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