Tuareg not only is the title but also the foreign protagonist of these small bibliophile jewels. Barcelona Design Gallery presents these works exclusively in two distinct formats: individually framed in 114x58 cm, or a collection of eight 43x32 cm laminated plates presented in a handmade folder.
These enigmatic works of art were made with four hands, since each one of the photographs of Sebastiá Caus is accompanied by a text as well as Tifinagh scripture symbols from the hand of Georg Massanés. Beautiful sceneries conceptually range: from the absence of limits for a traveler to the idea of infinity and eternity in the silent and starred solitude of the night.
Here is Georg Massanés own narration of his artistic and symbolic experience:
"In March of 1999, Sebastiá Caus traveled to a country convulsed by recent economic developments and torred what constitutes the greater part of the territory: the Sahara Desert. With a tour guide and other company, he underwent a graphic work which documented some of the most exotic and fascinating places of the country, a mole associated with the empty, torrid and inhospital limitless space: the desert. And though it may seem uninhabitable for man, the geography purely made of sand and stone in fact has a population: the Tuaregs or the Imuhagh, or, as they call themselves, "the noble" or "the free". This nomadic town of Berber ethnicity dates back to 1000 BC. Some Tuaregs formed part of the photographer´s team and allowed him create the collection of photographs that are now displayed in BDG
Sebastiá asked me ifI would help him paint Tifinagh symbols below the photographs. This first collaboration evoked a curiosity to experiment with paint in a group of photographs that could be manipulated.I asked him for two petroglyphic impressions in a large black and white format which would allow me to work with more freedom. Already in my shop, I prepared an emulsion of tanned color to establish a background tone for the images. To my surprise, the impression inks were slightly diluted which gave rise to black toned landscapes that created a beautiful pictorial affect. Finally, I painted the symbols from tifinagh scriptures.
It is not often that two artists have the opportunity to create a work made of four hands: style, personality, subject matter and different technical approaches can ruin the work. However, in this case, the collaboration has been very satisfying for us both."
