Levantar el asfalto, Recinto ferial

Curator: This photograph documents Lara Almarcegui’s site-specific installation, "Levantar el asfalto, Recinto feríal," created in 2004. What do you make of it? Editor: It gives me the shivers! The cold, grey palette and massive, empty space have a bleak, almost post-apocalyptic feel. And those rising wisps near the broken asphalt—they look like spirits rising. Curator: An interesting reading. What Almarcegui did was literally lift sections of asphalt from the fairgrounds in a Spanish city, revealing the earth beneath. She documents this through photography, inviting viewers to reconsider spaces that are typically taken for granted. Editor: Ah, so it's about unveiling the layers of construction, both physical and conceptual, that define our environment? The “underneath” of things, literally? This makes me think about power structures buried just beneath the surface of our lived reality, right in plain sight if you decide to expose them. Curator: Exactly. The Recinto Ferial is a stage for commerce and display, but Almarcegui is interested in what’s hidden—the natural ground. Consider what the selection of material is indicative of, and consider the socio-political structures that this reveals. She's asking us to question what we value in our urban landscapes. Editor: It almost feels like an act of defiance, ripping up the ordered surface to expose the raw earth. Who decided what should cover the ground, and why? Curator: The piece can certainly be viewed that way, especially within the context of conceptual and environmental art's critical stance against traditional aesthetics. By displacing the expected surface of the Recinto Ferial, Almarcegui calls into question the role of such sites within our culture. Editor: This reframing—considering an exhibition through the lens of critical engagement with our environment, urban planning and land use—really changes how you engage with the piece. Curator: Yes, hopefully, these pieces make people consider how a small change can lead to broader social introspection. Editor: Indeed, art can spark a critical re-evaluation of the spaces and systems we navigate daily.