Sandstar by Gabriel Orozco

Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco collected thousands of objects to realize his project “Sandstar.” These objects, retrieved from the shores of a natural reserve in Mexico. Orozco assembled them into complex installations that can be read both as a criticism of civilization and a poetic topography.

Isla Arena, Baja California, Mexico is a Natural ressort endangered by the waste of civilization. It’s a living space for Whales and a cemetery for the sea animals as well.

Orozco collected the garbage of civilization that washes ashore even in this protected refuge, such as plastic buoys, protective helmets, and glass bottles. Spread out in an order on the floor, the flotsam, nearly 1,200 found pieces, forms a monumental sea of objects. The installation, titled Sandstars, is accompanied by twelve large-format photographs in which Orozco photographed the objects in the studio arranged typologically according to material, color, and size.

The work “Sandstar” is part of the exhibition “Asterisms.” German Guggenheim, 06.07.-21.10.12