80WSE  presents “Four Houses, Some Buildings and Other Spaces,” curated by Berta Sichel.  The exhibition will open on January 29, 2012 from 6 -8, and run until March 16, 2012. “Four Houses,” is an exploration of the bond between architecture and history, delving into the complex relationship between ruins and memories and bringing deeper insight into the nature of the history of places and their social and cultural implications.

©  Lara Almarcegui

The 10 artists in the exhibition, Europeans, Americans and Latin Americans and from different generations, revisit the history of monuments, houses, municipal buildings — places that were once hallmarks or centers of production and that have become more or less an unseen area in the contemporary landscape. For these artists revisiting these ruined and forgotten building that once held a special significance opens up creative areas of memory, the imagination and interpretation.

Spanish-born Lara Almarcegui documents processes of urban transformation brought on by political, social, and economic change. Her installation “Guide to Al Khan, an empty village in the City of Sharjah” examines a former fishing village first established around 1820 in the United Arab Emirates, f depopulated around 1980 and now resided in by migrant immigrants who dwell in dilapidated housing.

Spanish artist Carlos Schwartz’s drawings from the series “Blind Windows”(2010-2012) are inspired by the work “Moskau – Moscow” by Günther Förg. Förg’s work consisted of over one hundred photographs of Russian avant-garde buildings from the early 20th century.  “Blind Windows” focuses on exact details of those buildings’ facades.

Site: New York University

Title: Four Houses, Some Buildings and Other Spaces
Place: 80WSE
City: New York
Country: E.E.U.U
Date: January 29 to March 16, 2013