| ISBN : | 978-3-03764-653-3 |
|---|---|
| Publication : | October 2026 |
Gathering together 75 watercolors and drawings (2008–2026) by Argentinean, Swiss, and Hungarian artist Sigismond de Vajay, this artist’s book addresses globalization and power structures with what Chilean critic Pedro Donoso describes as “a healthy sarcasm that goes beyond the pessimistic campaign of fear orchestrated by the media.” He continues: “These Nouveaux Desastres (New Disasters) show the symphonic beauty of the destruction of all things, without forgetting the unavoidable environmental impact caused by men and their big toys.”
The beauty of an airplane in flames crossing the sky, the startling second of silence before the collapse of a building, the somber splendor of a voracious fire or an erupting volcano with its columns of smoke: dreadful yet riveting scenes of death and destruction—our small everyday apocalypses. Through the work of de Vajay, we contemplate the devastation of matter, the deadly phallic drive of large missiles, the collapse of technology and its will to dominate the world. What could be a sensationalist and morbid exhibition becomes instead a subtle and moving experience. As Werner Herzog stated, “the collapse of the stellar universe will occur—like creation—in grandiose splendor.”
This book includes a prologue and an epilogue by Pedro Donoso translated in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese.
A protean artist, curator, and publisher, Sigismond de Vajay was born in Paris in 1972. He has lived in Vevey, Barcelona, and New York, before settling in Buenos Aires. His works include installations, drawings, videos, interventions in the public space, and sculptures. In 2002 he cofounded KBB (Kültur Büro Barcelona/Buenos Aires). He edited the two-volume anthology Of Bridges & Borders (2009, 2014), and published his previous book of drawings Unreachable Empires in 2018 with JRP|Editions.
Published with KBB, Buenos Aires.
