In astrogeology—the science that studies the geology of planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, and meteorites—the word fluctus refers to a surface feature of the planetary crust that consists of a rock formation or extension of terrain with an undulating appearance. Lacus, which in Latin means lake, is used to refer to small plains present on the lunar surface and that are generally darker than the territories that surround them. This use of the word lacus was taken from the Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli, who in 1651 drew one of the first maps of the Moon ever made in European astronomy. The use of the word lacus was later extended to refer to other types of geological objects, such as the hydrocarbon lakes of Titan—Saturn’s satellite—or the frozen nitrogen deposits on Pluto.
In Fluctus lacus, the new project by Carmen Ortiz Blanco (Valencia, 1966), the artist invites us to explore an almost lunar scene, full of wavy craters that extend throughout the gallery space, thus generating a black and vibrant landscape. The sculptural work of this artist moves between minimalist language and geometric abstraction, with a very marked aesthetic component where her waves function simultaneously as a formal exercise, but also as a conceptual proposal. Based on a very forceful object approach, the installation is made up of a multitude of black rubber waves of various sizes – between 30 and 260 cm in diameter – distributed throughout a space that needs to be traveled, although, according to the artist, this can generate a certain feeling of uneasiness.
The black rubber of the waves is the material from which tires have historically been made and that is why it is usually associated with the automotive industry, although in this case it has been worked manually. It is a material that, in the words of Ortiz Blanco, “is somewhat synthetic, somewhat charming, polluting, durable, attractive, and at the same time contradictory.” It echoes the legacy of Western modernity linked to the fossil industry and its proposal for an accelerated pace of life.
Throughout her career, Carmen Ortiz Blanco has investigated how the passage of time affects our perception of the world. The speed of current events drives us to live among doubts, and as we try to resolve them, they generate new ones. But for the artist, these are not doubts that are negative, they are doubts that invite us to continue asking questions as a way of relating to the environment. The doubt that interests Carmen Ortiz Blanco is that methodical doubt that helps her not to become immobilized and to move forward in times of uncertainty; it is the central driving force of her work.
-Elena Blesa, Curator and educator
