Adam Kruschke
Midterm Research Paper
Art 309 S. Greene

A Reflection on the Work of Santiago Sierra
Across the globe, public discourse has become increasingly hostile towards immigrants. International migration rises and falls, as do attitudes towards
migrants. This leads us to expect a possible global recession to increase anti-immigrant sentiments and possibly spur new barriers to migration.In today’s global
economic crisis the media has turned a spotlight on immigration and emigration. Along with that, historical research has shown that emigration is negatively related to
unemployment at the destination, and positively related to unemployment at the source. With all this internation turmoil going today there is an increasing amount of
artists who are addressing the issues of migration, and globalization. In order to cope with the issues of the world there needs to be a sort of escape, and with art this
is possible. Artists are seeing what is going on in the media, and are taking these ideas to create works of art that address immigration and globalization.As stated in
an ArtUs essay by Rex Butler titled, "The World is Not Enough: Art and Globalization,"The work's presumed criticality and its excuse for doing what it does lies
in the way that it does not see itself as outside of the problems it depicts but as part of them. This self-criticism or self-contradiction is what we propose as the very
essence of globalist art. Yet the final twist of this critical turn is to be found in the fact that the exploitation they point to does not occur innocently, simply awaiting its
unveiling through art, but occurs in the first place only because of something like art. Namely, that racial and economic exploitation no longer take place directly
today, but only as the excuse for alleviating or doing away with them." There are many artists out there working with these ideas. One artists' work I found
particularly interesting was Santiago Sierras'. His work immediatly drew my attention, and struck a chord within me.
Santiago Sierra was born in Madrid, Spain in 1966. Growing up he had a unstable but creative backround. After highschool he went on to recieved his BA
in Fine Arts from Universidad Complutense, Madrid. He studied many different disicplines but focused on sculpture and photography.Currently he creates work that
intermixes minimalist sculpture, conceptual photography, and performance art. His passion for justice causes him to interrogate the limits imposed by contemporary
society. With almost thirty solo shows in his resume, his work ethic is very appearant. He currently lives and works in Mexico City. With so many impressive pieces
of work to his name, I found it difficult to pick out just a few to discuss. After sorting through I decided to reflect and discuss on three of his pieces; The Trap,
Submission , and Death Counter.
The first piece was an installation that Santiago did in 2007 tittle, "The Trap". In the installation the visitors were told to walk down a long corridor that
was littered with construction. As the proceeded along they entered a stage. In the audience were one hundred and eighty six peruvians. They were ill looking, and
had blank stares. When the visitor realized that they had become the 'main act' so to speak, they tried to go back the way they had entered. This was no longer that
option though, because the path had changed. Instead they were lead along a new route out onto the street. Upon arrive in the street they were greeted by a person
handing them their car keys, and thanking them for attending. Now most people would be extremely confused as to what just happened, but this was the point. That
is because this installtion was only intended for a certaion group of people. The intended audience was that of public officials, as well as the local government. One
imparticular was the Director for the National Institute for Youth. Another was the president of congress. This installation was obviously a very political piece, and
was bold in its approach. The shock aspect for the visitor is what I found intriguing. I would not know what to do if I were to suddenly be placed in the spotlight.
For the piece to really serve it's purpose the intended audience would have to expirence it though. I was unable to find out whether or not they did view it though. I
felt that Santiago's attitude towards these individuals was that of anger and spite. The construction in the original corridor was suppose to symbolize the cheap and
grueling labor of the peruvians seated in the theater. I believe the nonchalant/ dramatic exit of the visitor was intended to leave them thinking about what had just
happened, as well as the issues surrounding the labors of these individuals. That feeling of wonder and danger would linger with the viewer for days to come. That
could potentially allow for this issue to be brought to light in the media. Once the media gets involved there could be hope for change within the system due to the
public outreach.
`The corresponding piece with the installation was a series of photographs. The piece titled, "184 Peruvian Workers" was one hundred and eighty four
individual portraits of workers. The individuals had recieved about fifteen dollars to pose for the photo. What I found interesting was that the viewer cannot see the
workers faces. All the photos are shots of the back of their heads. This creates a unique aesthetic though. You are able to see the similarities in all of the people, and
they become sort of ambiguous. I felt that this could be touching on the idea of globalization, and how we all become one. The mixing of nationalities and cultures
has created a sort of grey race. These workers have become faceless and just another number.
The next piece that I found to be extremely interesting and exciting was titled, "Submission" (Sumision). This particular installation was put together in the
town of Anapora, located just a few hundred feet from the U.S. border. This area was choosen to be the site of an erection of a large wall by the U.S. along the
border. Anapora was established and occupied by workers in the area. For generations the conditions here were unimaginable. It was not untill the late 1970's that
paved roads, and sanitary drinking water was introduced. Yet most of the area is inhabited by homeless families. Production of products containing lead in the area
has gave way to many health issues in its residents. With all these issues surrounding this area, I feel that the artist made an intellegent desicion in choosing this site.
For construction of the piece, workers were brought in by the local government to dig out the trenches. These trenches were extremely large and deep. The idea
was to be able to see this word, "submission" from satelite view. After the trenches were dug braced up they were then filled with cement to create a permanent
work of art. I really enjoyed the idea behind this piece, and find it so simple yet brilliant. His work seems to follow the idea of getting in your face with a particular
issue. He is going to come up with an idea that is not timid in its approach. They was he goes through the process of research and execution is incredible.
A more recent work by Santiago Sierra is a installtion in London titled, "Death Counter". This giant LED counter shows the global death toll. It is a
permanent piece that was support by local government. The looming presence of 'death' encorages the viewer to do something with their lives. For me it cries out for
people to get out and be a positive and productive member of society. According to the Birmingham Post article the ticker is expected to reach fifty five million by
New Year's Eve of 2009. That is an unbelievable amount of people that die around the world every year. The issue of death seems to be another important staple in
Sierras' work. The crucial time we are here is meant to be spent wisely. I think that his work is a manifestation of that thought, and brings to light the idea of
immortality.
After taking a look at numerous work by Santiago I was rather impressed with what he had to offer. His ideas and creations really take a political side, and
he uses his creativity to make something better out of it. With so much negativity in the world , he uses art as a tool to create postive. It is quite obvious that he is
aware of the issues surrounding globalization and immigration. The sheer body of his work speaks to his passion and desire for art and social justice. To have his
ambition and work ethic would be a blessing. With that ambition I feel that many people have been blessed by the work of Santiago Sierra.