REWRITING THE 21st CENTURYThis suite depicts a particular vision of the near future (from the upcoming decade until the end of the century) through imaginary geopolitical events. What we see is not a forecast of what is exactly going to happen, since that is basically an impossible task, but rather a mix of expectations, utopian wishes and fears, starting from the actual situation in the world and its possible development, having as a result a complex picture which works as a metaphor and reflexion tool about our age.Each piece deals with a different problem and tries to offer a constructive solution for it: by reading both the image and the text, will be gradually perceived that the action undertaken may help solving somehow the issue but it's way far from a solely positive or ideal procedure, the same as what usually comes about in the reality. Some topics are pretty concrete, like financial speculation supported by tax havens, meanwhile others reach such metaphysical questions as the impossibility to change the human nature. |
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GRAND CAYMAN (REPUBLIC OF CUBA), 2023 Embargo against a tax haven as an exemplary measure. The island will be completely isolated by a naval blockade, not by chance but planned to coincide with the (fake) call for an extraordinary economic summit. The chosen topic should be how to cope with the threat of expropriation of all suspicious bank accounts by the new government. It is expected to attract most of the investors with dubious capital deposited in financial institutions of the archipelago, and put an end to their activities the only possible way, having already exhausted all other options. Output will be allowed only to those expressing a deep repentance for their past life, and as proof of their sincerity will renounce withdrawing the invested capital, which will be used for social purposes. |
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Embargo Against a Tax Haven 2013 / 75 x 127 cm / Ink, watercolour and collage on paper |
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PRIŠTINA (SOUTH EUROPEAN CONFEDERATION), 2039 - ? Inauguration of the Friendship Tower long before completion. The planning and construction of such a prodigious building would not have been possible without the generous contribution of all member countries. This aspiring enterprise expects to enhance cooperation between Peoples: to establish a common goal that benefits all parties involved, thus enabling, for the first time in centuries, a peaceful coexistence of formerly irreconcilable enemies. While funding comes largely from a confederal budget, labor should be exclusively local; for, as has been gradually revealed, in order to fulfill the ultimate aim of the proyect, as many people as possible have to be kept busy, and above all, the scheduled deadline postponed again and again until its slow demise to oblivion. |
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< Inauguration of the Friendship Tower 2013 / 112 x 70 cm / Ink, watercolour and collage on paper |
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TUMUPASA (PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA), 2046 Reception for a group of inmates at their release from a Labor Camp. After a maximum period of two years, the vast majority of convicts would get their civil rights restored, and be able to integrate themselves back in the society. This type of penalty is applied only to political prisoners, such as those considered guilty of serious economic crimes, conspiracy to overthrow the Government, or being a member of the Antidemocratic Party or any other illegal organizations. In order to maintain desired performance among detainees, they receive a minimum monthly salary and other small but efficient incentives. The work to be carried out is focused on improving State infrastructure: construction of roads, electrification and installation of fiber-optic communication systems in remote areas. |
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| Reception for a Group of Inmates 2013 / 75 x 89,5 cm / Ink, watercolour and collage on paper |
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BREST (EURASIAN UNION), 2050 Attempted assault on the Welfare Protection Wall smoothly neutralized. Given the growing influx of citizens from the former European Union towards its eastern boundaries, both immigration laws and border surveillance had to be reformulated according to the new situation. The economic crisis that erupted decades ago, continued to worsen and spread, reaching as far as the countries believed immune to recession. Every broad effort to reform the system from above was doomed to fail, although alternative forms of organization were successfully implemented at a regional level, the implosion of the EU was inevitable. Without being considered a colony of the new world powers, the central part of the continent languished into a peculiar hybrid, a mix of highly attractive historical reserves for tourists and a decadent refuge of global Hedonism. |
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Attempted Assault on the Welfare Protection Wall 2013 / 63,5 x 132 cm / Ink, watercolour and collage on paper |
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DAR ES SALAAM (UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA), 2071 Seizure of an Agricultural Manufacturing Center by rebel troops. The complex, one of the largest in the continent, was built on the initiative of the Chinese government, who appointed a team of trustworthy technicians to manage it, with natives employed as paid workforce. Using cutting-edge agrarian technology, a wide range of high-end products (labelled as organic or ecological) were produced and packaged for export to China, to meet the rising demand of its well-off middle class. The intensification of the drought ravaging the country once again and the subsequent food crisis, will lead to various insurgent groups to join forces in order not only to overthrow the government, as had been the case until that time, but also to nationalize the means of production owned by foreign companies and try to redistribute wealth among the population, starting with themselves. |
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< Seizure of an Agricultural Manufacturing Center 2013 / 92 x 72 cm / Ink, watercolour and collage on paper |
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ALTYN-TAGH (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA), 2096 Creation of the first New Man by genetic engineering. The possibility of improving human nature through the positive transformation of the social and natural environment has been discarded once and for all, instead of it a much more direct and objective means must be used. After decades of barren experiments, conducted in secret and in parallel to other less controversial lines of research, the time will come when the technic is sufficiently developed to achieve the desired results. A few weeks after conception, and as icing on the cake of the celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the Refoundation of the Party, the newborn will abandon the hermetic life of the laboratory to be presented as a resounding scientific success to the astonishment of the world. |
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< Creation of the First New Man 2013 / 78 x 100 cm / Ink, watercolour and collage on paper |