The souvenir is one of the central topics of my artistic work. My last piece focuses on the city of Barcelona, whose image has changed a lot in recent years.
Neighbourhoods, customs, architecture… everything changes over time. Yet souvenirs stay the same for decades.
I started to reflect on these questions of tourist souvenirs, clichés and real-life representation in cities.
I chose the Pakistani beer seller, a familiar presence in the streets back then, as an emblematic figure of the city.
A life-size sculpture was installed in the streets, accompanied by a series of “souvenirs”, smaller versions of the same figure, sold in selected souvenir shops and art galleries across Barcelona.
Exhibited at: Base Elements Gallery, Barcelona, 2011 and Venice Biennale, 2011 (Intervention)