Cities and their buildings are just a stop along the millennia-long geological journey of materials: an interview with Lara Almarcegui

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60001/ae.n51.2

Keywords:

Art and architecture, Extractivism, Vacant lots, Site-specific, Mineral rights

Abstract

The interview with Lara Almarcegui took place online on 17 April 2026 and was conducted by André Leal, Flavia Santos de Oliveira, Ingrid Colares, Michelle Farias Sommer, Lisette Lagnado e Renata Marquez. The conversation addressed fundamental issues relating to the artist’s practice, ranging from her relation with architecture and her main artistic references to climate emergency and the importance of her production in such context. The geological metaphor of the title points to Almarcegui’s relation with construction materials, both in buildings and in the mineral deposits she seeks to protect.

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Author Biographies

Lara Almarcegui

He was born in Zaragoza (Spain) and earned a degree in fine arts from the University of Cuenca. He has participated in numerous international exhibitions, notably the 27th São Paulo Biennial, the occupation of the Spanish Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale, and Manifesta 9. His work explores the material aspects of urban space in architectural production.

André Leal, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

É pós-doutorando no Programa de Pós-graduação em Artes Visuais-EBA-UFRJ e editor de Arte&Ensaios.

Flavia Santos de Oliveira, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

She holds a degree in architecture and urban planning from the UFMG School of Architecture, a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Ippur-UFRJ, and a Ph.D. in design from PUC-Rio. She is an adjunct professor at FAUUFRJ, where she works in the field of architectural theory and criticism. Her research explores the conceptual and methodological interfaces between image, art, and architecture.

Ingrid Colares, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

She is an architect and researcher. She holds a master’s degree in sustainability science from PUC-Rio, with research focused on the reuse, disassembly, and circularity of materials in architecture. She helped create the “Reuse Lab” course at FAU-UFRJ. A graduate of PUC-Rio, with continuing education at Escola da Cidade, she is a partner at IMA, an architecture firm in Rio de Janeiro.

Michelle Farias Sommer, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

She is a researcher, writer, curator, and art critic. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Art History and Theory at the Institute of Arts and a faculty member in the Graduate Program in the Arts, both at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

Lisette Lagnado

She is an art critic and independent curator. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from USP and served as director of the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts in Rio de Janeiro from 2014 to 2017, chief curator of the 27th São Paulo Biennial in 2006, and co-curator of the 11th Berlin Biennale in 2018–2019.

Renata Marquez , Federal University of Minas Gerais

É professora da Escola de Arquitetura da UFMG e editora fundadora da revista PISEAGRAMA. Foi curadora do Museu de Arte da Pampulha (2010-2012) e publicou Domesticidades (2010), Atlas ambulante (2011), Escavar o futuro (2014), Habitar o Antropoceno (2022) e Terra: antologia afro-indígena (2023).

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Published

2026-09-10

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 51 (2026): Ruin in regeneration

Section

Entrevista

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Arte & Ensaios

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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