COUNTRYSIDE: THE FUTURE
How can we attribute value to the aesthetic grandeur of Patagonia? An area which is home to the world’s most sublime landscapes is now purchasable for an extremely low price. The word Patagonia was first used by the Spanish in their colonization of the area, following their encounters with the “Patagones” (i.e. men with large feet). The southernmost tip of the world, the area in Southern Chile and Argentina is the focus within the larger Countryside research. As a result of western influence, the inhabitants of this region are now largely extinct. Today, the region is largely uninhabited, containing only 3% of the combined populations of Chile and Argentine, despite covering over 30% of their combined land area. A once uncharted edge of the Earth, the Patagonian region is now host to the largest concentration of foreign buyers, stemming from a tradition of western exploration.
Featured at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York between February 2020 and 2021, the Buying=Saving explores the paradox of private conservation efforts in one of the most remote corners of the globe, and its impact on the preservation of natural beauty.
Exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
New York, NY
February 2020 - February 2021
Exhibition photographs courtesy of Federico Martelli / cookies.lol
