Alessandro Casciaro Gallery is pleased to present Guaca, Santiago Reyes Villaveces’ second solo exhibition at the Gallery. The exhibition features new works by the artist at the gallery’s space Via Capuccini 26a 14 September 2023.
“Guaca” serves as an exploration of power, memory, and fiction. It offers a poignant reminder of the intricate interplay between the past and the present, the earthly and the celestial, and the tangible and the spiritual. Through series of works that explore the sculptural and installative dimension of his artistic practice, Santiago Reyes Villaveces encourages us to engage in a critical examination of the power structures that shape our world and to contemplate the enduring significance of guacas as symbols of resilience, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship.
The term “guaca” refers to a treasure, sacred place, or repository of collective memory, originating from the indigenous cultures of pre-Columbian America, particularly the Andean region. Guacas, with their enigmatic and potent nature, possess the capacity to bring fortune or misfortune. They remain concealed, buried, preserved, and reveal themselves through mysterious means. The allure of guacas fueled expeditions during the colonial era, sparking an unrelenting pursuit of wealth and power that left a lasting imprint on the Andean region.
In light of the worsening climate crisis and the growing evidence of the unsustainability of our extractive economic model on Earth, humanity now looks to the skies. Colonial desires extend into outer space, seeking a new ‘guaca’ among the stars. This endeavor promises wealth for some while seemingly offering a future of boundless resources. However, it comes with the double-edged sword of exacerbating social inequalities on Earth and the perpetuation of an unsustainable economic model. Despite reevaluating past colonial strategies, the current narrative of space exploration reintroduces colonial tropes to legitimize the appropriation of celestial bodies for extractive purposes. Urgent changes are imperative, focusing on generating alternative approaches that encompass minority sciences and marginalized systems of knowledge.
Reyes Villaveces’ exhibition presents an amalgamation of diverse elements, ranging from the solar panels employed in space exploration to Pre-Columbian iconography, biology, archaeological artifacts from the Bolzano region, and found objects. This composition creates an atmosphere where spectators, through a sci-fi aesthetic, are prompted to reevaluate our relationship with the environment beyond existing power structures. “Guaca” invites us to imagine alternatives that can contribute to avoiding repeating the horrors of the past and discover sustainable forms of wealth.
