Gastón Lisak  

“Normalization” – Industrial paint on ancient Iranian rug

Spain

“Destroying has been always the quickest way. If something is broken, we throw it out. If something is old and decay, we paint it white. It's a white that unifies, that covers, forgets and at the same time renews.

We insist on creating new buildings, cafeterias, and restaurants that have no soul and are empty. We no longer know if we are in Barcelona, New York or Paris. Everything seems the same

It is time to reflect and think of cultural heritage and the normalization of things.

As an artist I work hard to develop artworks that speak both to me and to others about the beauty that exists in the mixture of concepts between religion and identity in the post-photography era.

I decontextualise and use destruction to reconstruct stories. In my work I seek to recall an object’s past as well as suggest its greater connection to our collective memories, desires and beliefs. Questioning today’s society and being aware of our surrounding.

My art form is focus on the “Objet Trouvé” exploring today’s identity throw the transformation of found objects, using the collective imaginary and visual culture heritage. Topics include Sacred Plastics, New religion, Consumerism and Normalzation.

My goal is to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully at the world around them, to rediscover beauty in daily objects and rethink today’s culture. Connecting the old and the new to project better futures.

As a result my work becomes in effect, portraits of contemporary society.”

Gastón Lisak is an artivist based in Barcelona. Lisak is one of the founders of Random Happiness, a movement that believes in happiness as a revolutionary tool. Upon graduation, he was awarded a grant at F A B R I C A, the research center of Benetton, where we spent 2 years and developed his work on visual storytelling and pop-up exhibitions. Lisak is a teacher at Elisava, Design University in Barcelona and he leads workshops in the field of Art Thinking, collective creation, and co-creation. Lately, he has been invited to be part of the FORUM el Tercer Paraiso in Cuba organized by Michelangelo Pistoletto where he also collaborated with Galleria Continua.

His work has been exhibited at Gallery Bensimon Paris, Beijing Design Week, Tate Exchange (UK), Times Square (NewYork) , Salone del Mobile (Milan), The Aram Gallery, CCCB, ILIVE TOMORROW Gallery Hong Kong and MNAC, Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya among others. He has been invited to talk in places such as LaSALLE University (Jakarta), Tate Exchange at Tate Modern, Tilburg University (Holland), Design Museum of Barcelona or WebVisions at Instituto Europeo di Design.

For more information about the artist, check out: www.random-happiness.com