Series: “They made us believe” (2024)

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"They made us believe" is a project that takes up the landscape genre from a critical perspective, seeking to question and put into tension the supposed changes in contemporary paradigms around human-nature links. To do so, I am inspired by the landscape configurations left by the extraction, production and management of lithium in South America.

 

Lithium is a chemical element present in the batteries required by new communication and electric mobility technologies. But what is the situation and impact of lithium deposits and exploitation on the communities and the environment of the main producing countries of this element? More than 60% of the reserves of this mineral are concentrated in the region known as the Lithium Triangle (Chile, Argentina and Bolivia). The conventional and most economical extraction method is by solar evaporation in huge pools using millions of liters of brine and fresh water per ton of lithium produced in the process.

 

From a certain abstract perspective, it is worth asking about international policies that promise a sustainable future both socially and environmentally; who wins what and at what cost. Asking ourselves about the origin of our beliefs and information does not seem trivial in this context.

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*This project was selected as Finalist of the Prix Paul Cézanne, 2024 and exhibited at the Subte Exhibition Centre, Uruguay

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Technical details of the work:

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Technique and medium: Oil painting on canvas

Measurements: 120 x 150 cm each panel