The Art of... | Talk

[14.12.2021]

Clean water is essential for life on earth. Access to it has been a declared human right by the UN since 2010. In a country like Chile, where water is no public good, rivers hence become a symbol of a ruthless and failed economic system.

Chilean media and sound artist Claudia González Godoy works at the intersection of art, science and technology. She dedicates her work to Chilean rivers, which she considers – in a poetic way – from geographical, socio-political and chemical perspectives.

With a sensitivity to systemic relationships and through extensive field research she explores the effects of industrial overuse of water on the environment and the communities living along the rivers. Examples include excessive mining for copper and hydroelectric power generation for private companies.

González Godoy translates the findings of her observation and research into mixed media installations that integrate image and sound. She combines digital technologies with analog processes such as copper engraving. The works are animated by water and electricity as central components.

For the conversation, Claudia González Godoy has invited the curator, scholar and cultural manager Alessandra Burotto Tarky, who has accompanied the artist's work for many years.