A psychological reinterpretation of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion
Could we contemplate an architectural construction from a psychological perspective? An artist turns a building into a test that challenges visitors.
The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion becomes the stage for a large installation titled Psicoarquitectura (Psychoarchitecture), which refers to the materiality of the building from an interpretive and psychological perspective. It’s managed by Oscar Abraham Pabón, a creator born in Venezuela and resident in Barcelona who works in a territory situated between sculpture, philosophy and public space. Come and see it from the 14th of September to the 8th of October.
Now, in a performance that is part of both the Barcelona Gallery Weekend and the upcoming Swab festival in October, the artist analyses the symmetrical surfaces that form the pavilion and draws a parallel between the images they suggest and those created by psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach in his classic personality test, based on an inkblot on a folded piece of paper.
The interpretation that each person makes from the image they see shifts the attention from the observed object to an observer who, when analysing ambiguous forms, tells us about their inner self. The same happens with the wall of baked earth bricks, with a new indeterminate shape painted on top, which the artist raises in front of the exterior lake of the Pavilion and which, when reflected on the water, recreates the effect of a gigantic Rorschach test that says a lot about ourselves.
At the same time, these baked earth blocks, conceived as a kind of skin of the building, allude to the construction history of the material and the role it has played in the architecture and urban planning of the 20th century.
If you want to see more works by the artist, remember that, from the 14th of September, you will be able to see some more at Lab 36, where this creator, who was a resident of the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam and has work in Chile, Miami and the Netherlands, among other countries, is currently showcasing Sincere Material, an exhibition in which he combines sculpture and architecture, focusing on reflection about public space.
For now, however, you can see Psychoarchitecture at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, but before coming, check all the information about this installation on the website.