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I. curator statement

CONEXIÓN at St. Mary Le Strand is a concrete example of dialogue between the Anglican Church, the Dominican Republic, and the art of Lidia León to encourage coexistence of the individuals by integrating the language of art into architecture and the natural material into the sacred geometry of the space.

Interior de la iglesia St. Mary Le Strand en Londres, con una instalación artística moderna de hojas en paneles iluminados, contrastando con la arquitectura gótica del edificio

With this installation made of tobacco leaves, Lidia León Cabral has transformed St. Mary Le Strand – one beautiful example of the Baroque architecture in London- into a sort of agora where diverse cultures can meet and live together. The tobacco plants, which situate the work in a Caribbean landscape and are a crucial part of the socioeconomic development of the Dominican Republic, are a recurring theme in LiLeón’s imagery: she was born and raised in a prominent family of tobacco farmers. In the hands of the artist-architect, these large leaves become a raw material to be used in construction, keeping the essential link to Mother Nature open. The collage of tobacco leaves on the panels was inspired by the church’s ancient stained-glass windows.

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ARTIST
Lidia León / LiLeón

CURATOR
Art Critic Roberta Semeraro

ORGANIZERS
Dominican Republic Embassy in UK:

  • H.E. Elnio Duran, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the U.K.
  • Mrs. Ligia Reid, Minister Counselor of Cultural Affairs
 

Anglican Church St. Mary Le Strand:

  • Revd Canon Dr Peter Babington

LiLeón Foundation:

  • Lidia León Cabral 
  • Lidia Amalia Viyella 
  • Luis Viyella León 
  • Carlos Lora Yunen 
  • Lourdes Saleme León

COLLABORATORS

  • RO.SA.M. – Costanza Salini – Curatorial Team
  • Lourdes Saleme & Asociado – Graphic Design
  • Malcolm Fryer Architects – Vera Gkoufa – Director of fittings
  • Rafe Mullarkey & Ben Allchurch – Responsible of fittings
  • David Parry – Photographer
  • Elena Davidson Communication – Press Office
  • DIM – Shipments from Dominican Republic
  • Gosselin – Shipments from Italy
  • We-Exhibit – Assistance for the fittings and the lights

In 2021, CONEXIÓN represented the Dominican Republic Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Biennale Exhibition in Venice. The installation was intended to answer the question “How will live together?” placed in the title by Hashim Sarkis curator of this special edition of the Biennale. The artwork with the tobacco leaves was done site-specific for St. George’s Anglican Church of Venice during the lockdown. CONEXION can be considered a historical work of art, created at a time of great uncertainty for the whole of humanity. A symbolic work, with a strong matrix of Caribbean culture that invites visitors to recognize their fraternal ties and to rediscover the strong bond with mother earth.

On May 20th, 2021, the UK newspaper, Architect’s Journal, chose CONEXION as one of the “Best of the rest” of the Biennale. 

Roberta Semeraro

Curator