Tierras malas
Aap Tepper. From the project Dark Diversity. EAA.2073.1.325.10.12. 2021
The exhibition Tierras malas examines the representation of landscape in photography, emphasizing two aspects related to the landscape. First of all, the exhibition focuses on landscape as a way of seeing, examining how landscapes are constructed through the gaze and looking. The exhibited works point out how some parts of the surrounding environment are seen in aesthetic terms, while others are seen as useless. Second, the exhibition looks into the traces of cultural memory hidden in the landscape, focusing on what is not visible or what is left out of the frame.
Tierras malas refers to a type of landscape characterized by a lack of vegetation and the erosion caused by water and wind; it is considered poor, useless or dull. The exhibition takes a look at how such “useless landscapes” are defined in different contexts and how they are represented in photography. The title also refers to invisible traces of gloomy past events that the landscape might conceal.