LARA ALMARCEGUI
Lara Almarcegui has been working on an ongoing series of projects titled Mineral Rights since 2015. Almarcegui actively pursues mineral rights across multiple countries, documenting her endeavors and setbacks which entices discussions on land ownership and mineral rights regulation. How to get the rights vary widely from one country to another, and it is customarily impossible for a private individual to acquire them. Her work challenges how territories are shaped geologically and subsequently exploited for economic and political gain through corporate extraction.
Almarcegui acquired exploration rights to an iron deposit in Tveitvangen, Norway, some time ago, and is presented in Norway for the first time in the exhibition. With the keen assistance from Greenlight Triennial and Kragerø Kunstskole, Almarcegui has managed to renew her rights that had expired, with the aim of keeping this plot unexploited for as long as possible. Through her work, Almarcegui questions societal norms and relationships with the Earth, critically examining how these intersect with scientific and legal frameworks.
Central to her inquiry is the ownership of extraction rights and the subsequent monetization of common resources – who benefits and who loses out? As the exploitation of resources often leads to environmental degradation, affecting future generations with contaminated water and depleted land, Almarcegui’s work advocates for safeguarding the rights of future generations against such consequences.
Central to her inquiry is the ownership of extraction rights and the subsequent monetization of common resources – who benefits and who loses out? As the exploitation of resources often leads to environmental degradation, affecting future generations with contaminated water and depleted land, Almarcegui’s work advocates for safeguarding the rights of future generations against such consequences.
Her work has been the object of numerous solo exhibitions in institutions such as Graphische Sammlung, Zurich (2019); IVAM, Valencia, Spain (2019); Art Basel (2018); Casino Luxembourg (2016); Kunsthaus Baselland, Switzerland (2015); Gemmeente Museum Den Haag, the Netherlands (2015); the Stedelijk Museum, Den Bosch (2012). Almarcegui has also participated in the 14th Biennale de Lyon, France (2017); the 1st Triennale of Aichi, Nagoya, Japan (2013); Manifesta 9 (2012); the Taipei Biennial (2010); the 2nd Athens Biennial (2011). In 2013 she represented Spain at the 55th Venice Biennale.
More info > www.mor-charpentier.com
