Matadero Madrid center for contemporary creation
THE COLLECTOR
Sebastián Beyró
Institution
Sebastián Beyró feels nostalgic for what has not been lived, for the stories the first explorers of distant lands told, and for the cracks that memory always leaves open. An artist, researcher, and cook, he is part of Factum Arte, in which he collaborates with many artists on the international scene such as Anish Kapoor, Marina Abramović and Maya Lin. In conjunction with them, he works on developing and researching new techniques and on adapting techniques from days gone by to the new technologies of today.
Seduced by the aesthetics of the Cabinets of Curiosities of the 19th century, which mixed pieces of art, objects that had never been seen before and others that were extinct, Beyró invades the hall of Nave 11 with a site-specific workentitled The Collector. A motorhome with lots of miles on the clock, in which a myriad of objects created by the artist give life to as many readings as there are eyes to contemplate them. The motorhome allows Beyró to delight in the story of the past and the future of a collector who is the fruit of his imagination, through the objects he treasures.
The project also includes a culinary activity. The artist will cook and serve dinner to a group of people in order to engage in a dialogue based on two premises: cooking as a human driving force and artistic creation as something that sets us apart from all other living beings.
“Cooking has made us what we are. At a given moment in history, it made our brain begin to grow in comparison to that of the primates.
Richard Wrangham, an anthropologist at Harvard University, explains in his book Catching Fire how our brain began to grow once we started cooking our food, thereby avoiding having to spend almost six hours a day digesting it. And how, as our brain grew, human beings began to undertake creative and philosophical activities.
The number of people who cook has now fallen by 50% compared to the 1960s. Our habits are changing dramatically. Our supermarkets are full of enormous sections with prepared or "processed” food, while the consumption of food-related TV programs has skyrocketed as have cookery blogs and photography.
Art has also changed substantially in recent years, but this project doesn't attempt to be a declaration of intent by the “art market”, but more of a proposal for a relationship between cooking and art from an anthropological point of view, considering the development these two activities have had.
The Collector travels from town to town in his motorhome, showing off his precious objects, some of which are already extinct, others being the remains of ancient civilizations... Some of them, even though they have no great economic value, are given legitimacy by the collector who understands that they should be admired”, Sebastián Beyró tells us.
Seduced by the aesthetics of the Cabinets of Curiosities of the 19th century, which mixed pieces of art, objects that had never been seen before and others that were extinct, Beyró invades the hall of Nave 11 with a site-specific workentitled The Collector. A motorhome with lots of miles on the clock, in which a myriad of objects created by the artist give life to as many readings as there are eyes to contemplate them. The motorhome allows Beyró to delight in the story of the past and the future of a collector who is the fruit of his imagination, through the objects he treasures.
The project also includes a culinary activity. The artist will cook and serve dinner to a group of people in order to engage in a dialogue based on two premises: cooking as a human driving force and artistic creation as something that sets us apart from all other living beings.
“Cooking has made us what we are. At a given moment in history, it made our brain begin to grow in comparison to that of the primates.
Richard Wrangham, an anthropologist at Harvard University, explains in his book Catching Fire how our brain began to grow once we started cooking our food, thereby avoiding having to spend almost six hours a day digesting it. And how, as our brain grew, human beings began to undertake creative and philosophical activities.
The number of people who cook has now fallen by 50% compared to the 1960s. Our habits are changing dramatically. Our supermarkets are full of enormous sections with prepared or "processed” food, while the consumption of food-related TV programs has skyrocketed as have cookery blogs and photography.
Art has also changed substantially in recent years, but this project doesn't attempt to be a declaration of intent by the “art market”, but more of a proposal for a relationship between cooking and art from an anthropological point of view, considering the development these two activities have had.
The Collector travels from town to town in his motorhome, showing off his precious objects, some of which are already extinct, others being the remains of ancient civilizations... Some of them, even though they have no great economic value, are given legitimacy by the collector who understands that they should be admired”, Sebastián Beyró tells us.
