ALFREDO JAAR

Over a five month period in 1994, more than one million

Rwandans, mostly members of the Tutsi minority, were

systematically slaughtered as the world closed its eyes

to genocide.

One Sunday morning at a church in Ntarama, four

hundred tutsis were murdered by a Hutu death squad.

Gutete Emerita, 30 years old,was attending mass with

her family when the massacre began. Gutete´s husband,

Tito Kahinamura, and her two sons, Muhoza and Matigari

were killed with machetes before her eyes. Somehow,

Gutete was able to scape with her daugther Marie-

Louise.

After weeks of hiding, Gutete has returned to church in

the woods. When she speaks about her lost family, she

gestures to corposes on the ground rotting in the

african sun.

I remember her eyes

The eyes of Gutete Emerita

Rwanda. Suecia

The black boxes chicago 1995

1995 Real Pictures (Instalacion)

In memoriam (poema)

Slides and sound

1996 Let there be lights

The eyes of Gutete Emerita

1997 field ,road, cloud

1998Emergency

Meditation space

Epilogo

The gift (accion )

1999 waiting (fotografias)

2000 six seconds

signs of lights (proyeccion de luz sobre edificios publicos)

Emergency 1998 Barcelona

1995 one million finish passport This great collection symbolized the restrictive nationalism of Finland.

Compared to other European nations, Finland has the lowest number of

immigrants and refugees. Maintaining inhospitable, restrictive policies,

Finland has guarded its status quo at a time when other countries are

re-examining their moral and political positions on refugees and exiles.

The one million documents were, of course, replicas of actual passports.

With their dimensions slightly altered, they could not easily pass for the

real document. It was an ironic reflection of the nation's exclusive

immigration policies. No one was going to pass as a legitimate traveler

or tourist with one of Jaar's specially-produced booklets.

Assembled in a formidable arrangement, they collectively represented

the number of people who have been turned away from Finland.

1999 Playground Plaza (Barcelona)

1999 Lights of the city (Montreal)

Approximately a hundred thousands watts of red lights have been installed in the

Cupola of the Marché Bonsecours, a landmark monument in the old Montreal.

Detonating devices have been placed in the Accueil Bonneau, la Maison Eugénie

Bernier and la Maison Paul Grégoire, homeless shelters located within 500 yards of

the Cupola. Every time a homeless person enters any of these shelters, they are

free to push the buttons and the red light will flash in the Cupola.

2000 Skoghall Konstahl Skoghall, Sweden

Skoghall is a small community in search of an identity. Up until now,

its identity has been strongly identified as a Paper Mill town. In fact,

most of Skoghall has been built by the Paper Mill, including most of

the housing and the church.

It is time for Skoghall to present to Sweden and to the world a new

image, a contemporary image of progress and culture, beyond being

a dormitory for the Paper Mill workers. An image of creativity and

actuality. An image of a dynamic and progressive place where

culture is created, not only consumed. A living culture is one that

creates.

2000 Bunka no Hako

Japon, Los fondos del encargo no alcanzaban para un

museo,se destinaron para la construccion de varios recintos

ubicados en altura,en distintos paisajes lugares que

permitian exhibir a pequeños artistas locales, difrutar del

lugar y en la azotea admirar el paisaje en 360°. Oponiendose a

la monumentalidad propia de los museos, a la distancia del

espectador respecto de las obras(fisica y cultural) y a la

cerrazón respecto al entorno, el recorrido proponia integrar

arte de produccion local con una experiencia de reposo,

contemplacion y comunion con la naturaleza, espiritualidad y

silencio.

The Cloud

Valle Del Matador

Tijuana-San Diego

Mexico-USA Border

October 14, 2000

The US-Mexican border embodies an enormous social inequality and an

astounding disequilibrium of political and economic power.

As economic globalization is being celebrated as the triumph of international

capitalism across frontiers, the border between Mexico and the United States has

seen implemented the most draconian military measures in its history designed to

prevent immigrant workers from crossing those newly "open frontiers".

In the last decade alone, it is estimated that more than three thousand people

have died trying to cross the border. These deaths have been the result of

shootings by US Immigration Officials, drowning, extreme climatic conditions, and

automobile accidents, some of them caused by high-speed chases by the Border

Patrol.

In repeated visits to the area and in numerous interviews and discussions with

activists working on both sides of the border, I discovered an intolerable situation

and an unacceptable tragedy: in the 21st Century people still die trying to simply

cross a border between two countries.

I created The Cloud as an ephemeral monument in the memory of those who lost

their lives trying to cross the border. The Cloud lasted 45 minutes in which we

offered a space and time of mourning. Music was played on both sides of the

border, symbolically uniting a divided land and people. Poetry was read and a

moment of silence was observed.

2002 lament of images

2003 Hope

2005 The Gramsci trilogy Searching for Gramsci

Infinite cell

Let one hundred flowers bloom

The ashes of Gramsci

The aestethic of resistance

Requiem for Leipzig

2006 Escalera al cielo

The sound of silence

2008 Questions, questions

2009 The Ashes of Passolini

2010 Fragments

The Geometry of conscience

The Marx Lounge

Three women

Park of Laments

2011 Dear Markus

May 1 2011

“Mayo 1, 2011”