Bendana | Pinel Art Contemporain is pleased to present “Nuits sauvages chez Barragán”, the second solo exhibition of Lake Verea (Francisa Rivero-Lake Cortina, 1973 & Carla Verea Hernández, 1978) at the Gallery.
The duo pursues its photographic exploration of the world of Luis Barragán — a legendary figure in Mexican architecture — whose use of space, mastery of color, and unique atmospheres continue to fascinate them. For twenty years, Lake Verea has been scrutinizing the creations of this enigmatic architect in the hope of decoding fragments of his personality and revealing his private life.
Following an exceptional opportunity — that of spending several nights alone in the architect's house — Lake Verea conceived the series Nuits sauvages chez Barragán. The nocturnal atmosphere, sheltered from outside view, powerfully evokes the moments of intimacy that Barragán himself experienced there. Freed from the constraints of traditional documentation, the duo adopts an emotional and sensitive approach, revealing the iconic house from a new angle.
In an almost mystical atmosphere, they wander through the rooms in the dark, guided only by the moonlight and the faint red light of the sensors on their film cameras. Following an improvised choreography guided by instinct, the duo surrenders to Barragán's aesthetic genius. Each shot is a spontaneous gesture, a reaction to the beauty of a detail, a reflection, a moving shadow. The flash acts as a revealer : it suddenly illuminates a volume, in a gesture that is both brutal and delicate, contributing to the attitude of unveiling that runs through the entire series. This wild and intuitive night work gives rise to a unique vision of Barragán's architecture.
Nuits sauvages chez Barragán does not seek to explain Barragán, but to resonate with his work. This exhibition reflects Lake Verea's desire to capture not only the forms, but also the spirit of the place.