Luis Seoane’s Map of Desires

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Curators Silvia Longueira
Coordination Antón Lezcano

Building a shared understanding with the audience, adding new perspectives on artworks and different ways to approach art objects are the focal points of Luis Seoane’s Map of Desires revolves. The project first began in 2019, when a number of people from the arts, culture, education and sports were asked to choose a piece from the Luis Seoane Foundation collection and then link it to an idea or to a concept that the piece inspired in them. This innovative way of building up knowledge directly involves the observer, the object/subject being observed and the popularisation of artworks, by setting them free from a typical curatorial approach in favour of a more spontaneous reaction from the audience.

Over a hundred people took part and chose from nearly seven hundred pieces –oils, prints, posters and drawings by Luis Seoane–, and the end result is this exhibition. There were some funny coincidences, with two people selecting the same artwork but generating different concepts, sometimes even opposing ones, to define it. The 88 pieces included in the show were selected after a process of collective curation, with multiple perspectives ranging from a thorough knowledge of the meaning behind Seoane’s work to its coexistence with contemporary icons, or its ties to the career fields or the experiences of each of the participants.

Homage to the Tower of Hercules

As an exception to the rule that was established at the beginning of the project, the exhibition includes an animated short film  called Homage to the Tower of Hercules. This piece was created by Esferobite in 2004 as part of an exhibition of the same name conmemorating Luis Seoane’s famous book. It had been designed by Italian painter and graphic designer Attilio Rossi and contained some key elements from Seoane’s work, from the memories of the country he had left behind to the symbolism of the different elements that provide historical and social context. By including this short film,  curator Silvia Longueira and project coordinator Antón Lezcano wanted to highlight the significance that this lighthouse had in the work of Luis Seoane, who used to see its light from his own home in A Coruña. This is the 10th anniversary of its inclusion in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites. (Photos: Raúl Fernández).