With an introduction by Prof. Dr. Ernst van Alphen.
Sebastián Díaz Morales was born in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina, in 1975 and lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He attended the Universidad del Cine de Antin in Argentina from 1993-1999, the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam from 2000-2001, and Le Fresnoy, Roubaix, France from 2003-2004. Diaz Morales’s conception of reality has been shaped by the living conditions and landscape of his birthplace, Comodoro Rivadivia, an industrial city located on the Atlantic coast, in a rugged area between the Atlantic Ocean and the Patagonian Desert in southern Argentina. His questioning of reality in film, whether concerning landscape, the urban, or even the sociopolitical, has been marked from the very outset by a fundamental distrust of the belief in a single, unified reality. With Díaz Morales, the camera does not function as a medium for faithfully depicting and recording what is observed, but is an essential, even epistemic means for questioning and appropriating reality.
About his movie:
Premièred in June 2022 at Gallery Carlier Gebauer in Madrid, Díaz Morales’s Pasajes (I-VI) series presents life scenarios in which space and time acquire new layers of reality and illusion. In particular, Pasajes VI provides a unique insight into Herengracht 401. Following Sebastián’s gaze through the maze of doors and corridors, the audience has the chance to immerse themselves in the multilayered building of H401.
In relation to Pasajes VI, curator and art theorist David Komary points out that “individual shots reveal signifiers of another time or times, such as archive boxes stored in the basement, or the fading in of music clearly alluding to a different era than visually portrayed”. The reality of space and time changes shape throughout the movie, leaving the spectator both amazed by and curious about the perception of H401.
Please note that this event is free, however its capacity is limited – only via RSVP. If you wish to participate, please send an email to Micol Manunta mentioning your name and the number of people who wish to join.
Sebastián Díaz Morales’ screening takes place in the frame of the activities organised for the SPEME partners visiting Amsterdam throughout the whole month of May. Click here to see the full programme.
