A journey through the work of Lois Fasching
The Montjuïc Castle hosts the exhibition of the Tyrolean artist who investigates the expedition that was the first circumnavigation of the globe, in Global 500.
What did the first circumnavigation of the world mean five hundred years ago? Lois Fasching (1957) reflects on this idea and makes an artistic proposal that you can visit the exhibition Global 500, until the 25th of September, at the old barracks of the Montjuïc Castle. The exhibition has been carried out in collaboration with the La Neomudéjar Museum and with the support of the Austrian Cultural Forum in Madrid. Will you miss it?
Lois Fasching proposes a new approach to the expedition initiated by Fernando de Magallanes and concluded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, between 1519 and 1522, which resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Thanks to research and documentation on Elcano's feat, based on testimonies and various sources, she removes the hype from the journey and exposes the difficulties and miseries experienced by those involved due to diseases, wars, hunger and shipwrecks. The conditions were terrible, as out of five ships and two hundred men, only the Victoria ship and eighteen sailors survived. Moreover, although the event signified a maritime advancement, it also marked the beginning of the colonial past in Europe.
Through a sculptural ensemble of wood, Lois Fasching presents his perspective on these events from the viewpoint of the men who participated in the expedition, revisiting the fragmented and distorted memory of the event, despite the undeniable fact that they reached their destination. These figures are present in European memory and, in the cycle, there are two protagonists, Juan Sebastián Elcano and the chronicler Antonio Lombardo (Antonio Pigafetta). The Tyrolean artist, in addition to portraying powerful men such as Charles V, popes, bishops or expeditionaries, also gives voice and prominence to indigenous people from the lands visited, such as the Selknam people, the girls of the Moluccas, women from the Spice Islands, among others. For the sculptures, Fasching uses lime wood, a material that shows the harshness of everything related to the expedition. In the exhibition, the cartography of the open route or the ships that left Sanlúcar de Barrameda also gained prominence.
Global 500 has been exhibited in European cities such as Brussels, Madrid or Bilbao, and if you want to visit it in Barcelona, you have time until the 25th of September. Discover the artistic proposal of Lois Fasching through a new perspective provided by the sculptural ensemble. If you visit the exhibition, you can explore the old barracks that host it. The entrance fee is €9 (free on Sunday afternoons from 3 p.m.) and if you wish to buy tickets, you can do so from the website of the Castell de Montjuïc.