Empty Lot Visual Analysis

Empty Lot is a new sculpture created by Mexican conceptual artist, Abraham Cruzvillegas, installed at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. This gigantic sculpture suggests unlimited possibilities between life and nature. According to the artist, this work is often related to words such as politics, migration, displacement, poverty, aspiration, promises and hope. Entering the hall from west on the lower level, the huge foredeck and scaffolding welcomes you into this piece of art. As the viewers walk through the lower part of the sculpture, excitement starts to build up as the temporary structure made of wooden planks and metal poles seems like a trailer telling them to check out what’s happening above them. From the hall’s raised bridge, viewers look

This idea of hope is one that I’m dealing with in this work for the Turbine Hall."

The way Cruzvillegas works by assembling whatever he can get his hands onto, comes from his origin in the neighborhood of Ajusco. He describes his work of practice as the word autoconstrucción or self-construction. Back in the days, no one thought that a non-planned area in the southern part of Mexico City could be populated. Countryside incomers came and built homes on whatever land they got with free found materials slowly over time. Lacking the knowledge of architecture and engineering, people built up hope and ambition to achieve their rights, claims and ownerships by working together.

Empty Lot can be related to many things as it summarizes life and hope. The biggest thing that I can relate to is the Five Elements Theory in the Chinese tradition. The elements consist of wood, fire, earth, metal and water which are connected to each other in a cycle to balance the nature. Wood fuels fire, fire forms earth, earth contains metal, metal carries water and water feeds wood. Water quenches fire, fire melts metal, metal penetrates wood, wood separates earth and earth absorbs