Colombian artist to exhibit his work in Portsmouth - even though he has never visited the city
His work will go on display in Southsea gallery
An artist in Colombia is going to exhibit his work in Art Space Portsmouth, despite never having visited the city.
Sebastian Rodriguez de Castro will display his exhibition, Impending Doom and the Memory We’re Becoming, as part of the Photo Fringe Festival, an annual art festival that takes place in various venues across the South Coast.
Mr Rodriguez de Castro has exhibited in the UK before, despite living in Bogota, Colombia. His work has previously been seen at the Fringe Arts Bath, Frome Photography Festival and the Signature Art Prize.
He said: “I live in Colombia but I want to move to the UK in the future so that is why I want to exhibit in the UK.
“I wanted to exhibit in Portsmouth because the artistic landscape there is really alive, it’s a city with a lot of history.”
The theme of this year’s Photo Fringe Festival is feedback loops, exploring the interaction of action and effect, and Mr Rodriguez de Castro has fully embraced the theme in his work.
“I was really interested in his exhibition because I think my personal work really resonates with the idea of feedback loops,” he said.
“My exhibition is an ongoing project. It began with a family archive I had started myself. I wanted to ask myself how I approach photography and archive.
“Photography is a way of thinking about how things fade away over time.”
His project consists of experimental analogue photographs from his family archive, collages and a 16mm film projection, accompanied by an essay book.
“I developed the photos in a dark room and used experimental ways of developing, like collage and partial development,” Mr Rodriguez de Castro said.
“Every image is unique. I wanted to experiment and see how photography can speak for itself.
“When I returned to the family archive it was a way for me to re-understand my family history.”
The exhibition will be open to the public at Art Space Portsmouth on October 24 and 25. The gallery is free to enter and open from 10am to 4pm.