Saudade

The artwork Saudade is a reflection on the coastal landscape of Santa Marta, Colombia, the shipping point for the coal that has been exploited in the Cerrejón mines in the north of the country for several years. The environmental damage in the bay is a consequence of inadequate handling in the transport of the mineral to the cargo ships, an activity that has been carried out in the open air, dispersing coal dust and causing serious damage to the environment. This deterioration of the landscape has been aggravated by the lack of political will to address the problem. 

The word of the word by comes from Portuguese and is famously untranslatable, as it conveys a feeling that simultaneously evokes both sadness and joy. It strikes me as the perfect word to title a series of drawings created by ocean waves, using the coal dust that has accumulated year after year on the beach and in the water. The patterns left by the waves resemble a mountainous landscape, moving in their beauty yet painful when recalling their origin. This duality is encapsulated in the definition of the word bythe Portuguese poet Manuel de Melo: "saudade: bem que se padece e mal de que se gosta" (a pleasure you suffer, a pain you enjoy).