The Displacement of Ghosts: An exhibition in two archives
Judith Martinez Estrada
Opening: 24 September 5-8pm
Exhibition continues: 25 September - 12 October
The exhibition is divided into two spaces (let’s call them archives):
Archive 1: ‘El Apartamento: Retales/ The Apartment: Remnants’ is a visual documentation of place, as a mnemonic, post-memory study attempting to thread together a portrait of my family in Madrid, and in return gathering a greater understanding of identity. I have applied Pierre Nora’s concept of ‘Lieu de Memoire’ (sites of memory) to an investigation of personal history as a study of ‘33, Menendez Pelayo, Madrid’ – the residence of my paternal family. I have approached this project as an archaeologist and archivist – gathering, documenting and labeling. The pieces to be exhibited will represent the outcome of the archival documentation process in the form of photography, to show how all the remnants — a combination of the physical, the ephemeral, the behavioural — have helped shape this first floor apartment into a site of memory.
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Archive 2: ‘Palimpsest’: Palimpsest is the result of altering fragments from the past to create a present. Displaced people from antique vernacular photographs have new landscapes created around them, exploring human identity and the notion of the individual through time and place. A sense of reverence is felt towards these anonymous figures – who were they and why has the memory of them been discarded? What comment are we making about our own identities as we dispense with such images?
The Displacement of Ghosts Room Sheet (opens in new window)
Image: Projected Portrait (grandfather). Judith Martinez. 2018 Photographed at ‘33, Menendez Pelayo, Madrid Digital print on archival watercolour paper 80cm h x 100cm w
