Private viewing of the exhibition ‘John Gerrard’, as part of ARCO VIP programme

From 7 February to 2 April 2011, Ivorypress Space I hosted an exhibition featuring Irish artist John Gerrard.

This multidisciplinary artist’s work combines new technology with photography and poetic language whilst reflecting on social and political issues. Among the work on display was Cuban School (Sancti Spiritus) 2011, commissioned by Ivorypress, which addressed the current situation in Cuba from an artistic point of view.

Gerrard used hundreds of photographs of a school on the outskirts of Havana to build a 3D model and employed software that enabled the building to be seen from any angle and distance. The work changes throughout the day and shows the same light that would be visible in Cuba at the time when the visitor is viewing the piece in Madrid. The decay of the building, which continues to be used as a school even though it is almost in ruins, is a vehicle for discussing melancholy and the effects of the passage of time on architectural and human structures.