Sound and video sculptures give shape to the installation in which the animals reverse their role with humans and become spectators
The old warehouse turns into a meaningless circus as a metaphor for thinking about sustainability and apologizing to the living beings we mistreat.
Organized by the Government of the Canary Islands, the exhibition enjoys the firm cooperation of the Canarina Foundation, dedicated to the care of nature and the environment in the Canary Islands.
The cultural space of the tank turns into a unique circus, in which wild animals change their role with humans to become spectators, while they are transformed into mere objects of contemplation. This happens in “Creature Rage,” Tahichi Diaz’s new artistic proposal, which, as a metaphor, invites the audience to think about sustainability, while at the same time wanting to apologize to the sentient beings we mistreat. It can be visited until September 8.
This exhibition arrives at an old oil depot, after a long journey through halls in various European countries, in which the Tenerife artist challenges the audience to reconsider his role in the world, alluding to the weakness of man when separated or disconnected from the society of nature of which he is a part.
The exhibition was organized by the Government of the Canary Islands in cooperation with the Canary Islands Foundation for Environment and Nature, which was actively involved in its formation. It is inaugurated today, Friday 21, at 8:00 pm, with the assistance of the Deputy Minister of Culture, Horacio Ompérrez, and the General Director of the Foundation, Anne Sterio, who also accompanied the Tenerife artist hours before in the presentation to the media.
“Creature rage” has two aspects, one is biological, relating to how an individual relates to the environment and nature; Another psychological aspect “relates to the animal inside us, and what we do to tame it.”
According to the artist himself, the exhibition was inspired by the same Espacio El Tanque that now houses it. “The idea stems from the characteristics of this place, both formally and historically. The post-industrial age, the result of the intertwining of disciplines in the pursuit of speed and reproducibility of the capital system, has become a circus of meaninglessness with astonishing speed completely detaching us from the time of thought. We demand loudly an empathy that points to sustainability and, much more, to the promotion of a certain thinking that serves as a counterpoint to the invasion and engulfment of our surroundings.
Through these analogies, the exhibition seeks to raise awareness about the impact of our actions on the environment, encouraging us to generate coexistence, avoid parasitism, and ask ourselves how we can better know how to be in this world.
With it he wants to “ask for forgiveness” and also “give thanks to non-human living beings for what they have given us: their meat, their milk, their eggs, their feathers and skins against the cold, laboratory animals for science.” And medicine, and plants that provide us with the fabrics we wear and shelter ourselves with, and structures. For our homes and our food.”
It should be noted that during the two months that the exhibition lasts, various activities organized by the Canarina Foundation will be presented in the same space, whether in the form of debates or guided tours.
Tahichi Diaz, Tenerife 1977
He is a multidisciplinary artist with extensive experience, involved in projects of various kinds and has participated in international and canary exhibitions. His line of research focuses on working with volume, which he presents in sculpture, architecture, design, installation, new technologies or theater space. He is particularly interested in the synergy between art, technology and the environment.
His work is characterized by a strong social and educational aspect, which he developed in Tenerife for eight years through the creation of the Quimera Project, which focuses on urban planning through art and is developed with adolescents at risk of exclusion, with a high degree of social inclusion as a result.
He currently continues to develop the Kimera project in parallel with the preparation of several exhibitions of his personal works and creations related to performance, scenography and video dance, as well as some architectural, sculptural and landscape projects in parks and gardens. He is also a professor of characterization and masks at the Actors' School of the Canary Islands.
Canarina Foundation
The Canarina Foundation for Nature and Environment is a non-profit organization with scope of work in the Canary Islands. It has its roots in art since its founder and patron is Janusz, a German children's literature laureate, cartoonist and writer, who decided to found Canarina with his personal origins. The Foundation has always chosen art as a tool to raise awareness, express and transmit values related to the care of nature, animals and the Canary Islands. Its general director, Anne Stereo, is the curator of the exhibition along with artist Tahishi Diaz.
visiting hours
The exhibition will remain open until September 8, from Monday to Friday, from 12:00 to 20:00, and on Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 to 15:00. Entrance is free and open.
