Lost Postcards

“Our evolution as a species has been intermittently linked to this trail of barbarism that we leave at every step.” explains artist Isaac Cordal about the premise of progress dictated by society.

For his solo exhibition, “Lost Postcards” Cordal pays close attention to the human condition and presents his perspective on overtourism through his signature miniature sculptures.

Using photography and sculptures, Cordal emphasises on the double – edged concept of mass tourism. He suggests that tourists are the most effective army in history, and at some point, we are all part of an immense mass that colonises the world. We change into our vacation clothes, just to be part of the machinery called tourism. We open our suitcases in remote places, look out the window and everything becomes an immense set. We stand in huge lines under the sun to confirm that what we see is real, and corresponds to the image described in travel guides. It fills us with vitality to observe that the passage of time and nature have not yet completely overcome the vestiges of the past, and for a moment, a halo of immortality is captured on our memory cards. The terrifying thing is that these places disappear as we visit them.

“Tourism is the finished form of war”– Marc Augé

Raising questions of gentrification, he addresses the aftermath of overtourism with his classic stereotypical sculpted character: a middle-aged, bald, uniformed man in a grey suit. This recurring character first made its debut in his ongoing nomadic project entitled, “Cement Eclipses”, where he depicts scenes of displacement and destruction with his sculptures and immortalises them through his photographs, preserving the crumbling idea of a modern world.

French philosopher Régis Debray describes it well with his reflection: “They have taken off their helmet, but underneath their head is still colonial.” We photograph compulsively and we collaborate so that cities become a theme park of globalisation, that is, that all places eventually become the same. Perhaps Cordal is a visitor from the future sent here to compare the parallels of how overtourism can disintegrate a community from the outside in, showing us that we live in a postcard that doesn’t actually exist.

About the Artist

Isaac Cordal is an artist known for his street sculptures, photographs and public art installations. Born in 1974 in Pontevedra, Spain, he graduated with a degree in fine arts at the University of Vigo. Cordal first gained recognition for his distinctively poignant sculptures found in urban spaces. These sculptures showcase the human condition within our society, using the surroundings to further the vision of his sculptures. Cordal’s work has been marked by the places where he’s lived, such as London and Brussels. He currently lives in Bilbao, Spain.