A Monumental History of Pollution

Spanish artist, conservator and architect Jorge Otero-Pailos has dealt for years with the concept of pollution and its place in the history of cultures.

The first time I encountered a work by Otero-Pailos was at Seaman's Gallery in New York. I was struck by a seemingly delicate golden screen, with what seemed like black stone engrained in the image. The screen, lit from the back, revealed the shape of bricks, a wall. It was only after a talk with the artist that I discovered the wall belonged to the facade of the private museum of Louis Vuitton, from The Ethics of Dust series.

The process of creating these monumental golden sheets relies on painting a wall with latex, letting it dry and peeling it off to clean out the accumulated pollution, dirt and dust of a building's exterior. What is left, a document of the past.

Detail of Panel

Old United States Mint

Louis Vuitton Museum

Trajan's Column at V&A Museum

Otero-Pailos' work reflects on various concepts; the way pollution is perceived within a culture is probably the most relevant one. The artist reflects that conservation and art can be fused to create consciousness on the way we relate to our cultural past and what has been left of it. By turning a seemingly intangible element like pollution into an art object, Otero-Pailos materializes issues related to preservation both of cultural heritage and the environment. In this way, the artist has created a platform where past and present help illuminate the threats we will face in the future.

These monumental latex sheets have been created for historical buildings around the world. Otero-Pailos has preserved the walls of Westminster Hall, the private museum of the Louis Vuitton family, the inside of Trajan's Column, and the Doge's Palace in Venice among others.

To watch a video of the artist's process click here.

#art #conservation #history #environment