The Lives of Animals

Nicolás García Uriburu (1937–2016) was an Argentinian visual artist and activist who trained as an architect and became a celebrated painter. He began reflecting critically on the antagonism between nature and culture in the 1960s. His concern for environmental issues inspired a series of paintings that super­imposed urban landscapes with images of animals. 

The wallpaper presented in the exhi­bition depicts dolphins against the backdrop of a New York skyscraper. The animals in Uriburu’s work symbolise freedom. The artist became best known for a series of actions in which he would use a harmless microbiological colour­ing agent to turn bodies of water a vi­brant shade of green. His first colouring took place at the Venice Biennale, where, as a dissident action, he dyed the Canal Grande green. Over the course of thirty years, the artist conducted more than twenty colourings worldwide, includ­ing one in the harbour area in Antwerp. Uriburu worked with Greenpeace activ­ists in numerous campaigns that aimed to raise awareness of the importance of conserving natural habitats for endan­gered species. The artist’s commitment to environmental activism remained a central theme throughout his life and work. 

 ©  Photography by Kristien Daem. Courtesy of M HKA

Exhibited works: 

Triptych of Freedom (series: Antagonism Between Nature and Civilisation), 1974
Coloración del Puerto de Amberes, 1974 

Courtesy Fundación Nicolás Garcia Uriburu