La Despedida (Chronicles of a Farewell)

Images that reinterpret Carlos Cruz Diez’s  iconic work “Aditive Color Chromointerference”. 

 

At Caracas, Venezuela’s Simón Bolivar International Airport, there is an inmersive mosaic work of art that encompasses the floor and walls of the International departures terminal, done by Carlos Cruz Diez, one of our most important kinetic and optic artists. It has come to symbolize a visual icon of involuntary exile for the Venezuelan diaspora and the families that have been left behind. For many years, before the political and economic crisis deepened and became catalysts for massive immigration, travelers use to take pictures of their feet using "Aditive Color Chromointerference” as the background to have a joyful memento of their travel. It was testament of the solid economic situation of the country, where many citizens could enjoy foreign travel. However, for the past decade, the symbolism of this images have completely turned around, as the country situation has steadily deteriorated. 

Nowadays, it is an image that reminds us of the pain every unwilling immigrant goes through as they bid goodbye to their homeland maybe to never return. 

 

For this particular work, the artist requested through Facebook, images of Venezuelans, who forcefully had to leave the country. The pictures were accompanied by texts stating the reasons for departing Venezuela,  and the different destinies where they would start a new life. In this project, more than 450 different images were sent to my email, which were combined with their respective texts to create a powerful, yet poignant vision of displacement.