Dionisio González

On January 25th, the Galería Max Estrella will present the latest images by Dionisio González under the general title of Cartografías para a remoçao. This series is the continuation of the project Arquitetura da sobra: A cidade subexposta and is the result of several years of work traveling throughout the internal world of the shantytowns of Sao Paulo and Río de Janeiro.

After an exhaustive and exacting study of these massive unregulated settlements, the artist proposes a partial intervention in these chaotic spaces.

The project begins with the statements by the Brazilian government recognizing property ownership of shanty residents, which gives the foundation for these unique buildings.

Since most of the shanties are disappearing in the wake of the military "Shock Troops" followed by the arrival of demolition infrastructure: tractors and excavators. The artist's intention is to recover these spaces from recent historic memory. If the Cingapura Project (the project to demolish shanty towns and convert the space into a vertical habitat for the residents) will cancel out part of this illegal territorialization, why not propose alternatives to the suppression?

This is the proposal behind the artist's proposal for partial recycling, starting from the pre-existing reality. Dionisio González proposes a radical restructuring of the constructability, improving precarious conditions of habitability.

Dionisio González has received prestigious awards including the Pilar Juncosa Sotheby's Award from the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation, and the highlights of his most recent exhibits include his recent participation in the 2006 Venice Architecture Bienniale and the individual exhibit held at the Kunstverein in Heidelberg in 2007.

Dionisio González will present his latest works, created during his travels through the internal world of the shantytowns of Sao Paolo and Río de Janeiro.

After an exacting study of these massive irregular settlements, the artist proposes partial intervention of these chaotic spaces through a series of large-format photographs. This series was on display in 2005 in the MNCARS, Espai d´art Contemporani de Castelló, CAB Burgos, IVAM... A large traveling exhibit was also organized, beginning in Casal Solleric, Palma de Mallorca and continuing in 2006 in Seville and Cádiz.

Coinciding with Arco, the artist will exhibit his latest project Cartografías para a remoçao at Max Estrella. On this occasion, the artist takes another step forward in his "recycling proposal in shantytown architecture". This series has brought him international recognition from many prestigious institutions. In just the last few months, he has held exhibits at the Kunstverein in Heidelberg, The Venice Architecture Bienniale, the Landesmuseum Joanneum de Graz and Hanoi's Museum of the Revolution. He is currently preparing projects for Canada, Australia, Korea…

Dionisio Gonzalez
Cartografías para a remocao