Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

VOZ ALTA

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, known for his interactive installations, explores his Mexican homeland and its past and present. With the installation “Voz Alta”, he recalls the Tlatelolco massacre of 1968, when 200-300 peacefully demonstrating students were murdered by the Mexican military and other security forces in the Tlatelolco neighbourhood of Mexico City. In the 2008 project, participants were able to speak freely into a megaphone, and large floodlights translated this into signals visible from afar. Thousands took part without censorship or moderation.

BORDER TUNER

With “Border Tuner”, Lozano-Hemmer realised another participatory project with light and sound in 2019, in which spotlights were used to create a bridge of light on the border between Mexico and the USA. In doing so, Lozano-Hemmer not only created new connections, but also made existing relationships visible.

RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a media artist blending architecture and performance art. He holds a BS in Physical Chemistry from Concordia University in Montréal. His interactive works incorporate robotic lights, digital fountains, surveillance systems, and media walls, creating “antimonuments for alien agency” inspired by phantasmagoria, carnival, and animatronics. In 2007, he became the first artist to represent Mexico at the Venice Biennale. His works have been exhibited in biennials worldwide, including Havana, Istanbul, Liverpool, and Shanghai. He has created large-scale public art for events like the Millennium Celebrations in Mexico City (1999), the Vancouver Olympics (2010), and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi pre-opening (2015). His work is held in major collections, including MoMA, Tate, SFMOMA, and MAC Montréal. Recent solo exhibitions include a retrospective at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal and SFMOMA. In 2019, his projects “Atmospheric Memory” and “Border Tuner” explored immersive and interactive experiences, connecting people through technology.

LINKS

lozano-hemmer.com
@lozanohemmer

FEATURED IMAGE

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Voz Alta. Mexico 2008. Photo: Antimodular Research.