20’20”

2019

The landscapes of The Present Condition derive from a journey of more than 15,000 km by land that the artist carried out by connecting the two geographical extremes of the South American continent. A surreal atmosphere, where real and imaginary spaces intersect, impregnates the video. Human intimacy, desire, work, the savage capitalism that builds cathedrals in the desert, the perverse bureaucracy and the construction of the border are some of the different elements and concepts that are mixed in a striking and suggestive visual mosaic. What is a territory? What constitutes a border area? What are its limits? How are they built and to what wills are they subjected? Merino’s video gives us a sense of estrangement – a series of apparently complex and remote questions – but at the same time it conveys the perception of being active participants in a collective journey towards the unknown.