Tomas Saraceno is a contemporary artist from San Miguel de
Tucuman in Argentina. His exhibitions are unique, garnering him a reputation
for work which involves the spectator in an intimate and explosive way by
creating floating cities in exhibition spaces, through which the spectator can
take in the majesty of the displays around them. Saraceno's style and approach
to contemporary art has rewarded him a number of high profile fans and admirers
in the art community including Nicole
Junkermann, the Latin American Acquisitions Committee for Tate Americas
Foundation member and influential technology entrepreneur (for more information
visit this resource about Songza
and Nicole Junkermann). With
such influential backing, Saraceno's work has become a mainstay of the Latin
American and international contemporary art scene.
What makes Tomas Saraceno's work so compelling is that it
is quite unlike anything else. Each exhibition involves the spectator by having
them explore the space through platforms, netting and walkways suspended high
up, so that they may look down at numerous pieces far below or around them.
These “floating cities” not only facilitate the experience of art in a serene,
fascinating manner, but also allow spectators to remove themselves from the act
of being a visitor to an exhibition, with them being able to observe the day to
day process of other spectators viewing art sometimes hundreds of feet below
them.
All of Saraceno's work manages to meld the craft and
vision of architecture with the meta, self-aware concepts of contemporary
modern art. Each exhibition involves both natural and man-made materials, used
to create a juxtaposition of grounded and ethereal sculptures which lends a
dreamlike quality to each installation, exploring the thin line between reality
and subjective experience. This amalgamation of properties has allowed Saraceno
to develop a reputation as a compelling artist, engaging with his audience in a
way which allows them to analyse and contemplate the objective world and all of
the possibilities which it might hold.
Due to his exploration of fantastical and surreal worldly
images suspended high above the usual spaces in which an artistic work would be
displayed, he was selected by NASA to be their resident artist in 2009,
showcasing his talents to the International Space Studies Programme. He then
went on to win the prestigious Calder Prize. Following this, in 2012, he
developed his seminal work “Cloud City”, in New York.
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