Sobre para un solo documento

Mordantly humorous, Sobre para un solo documento (Envelope for a Single Document) depicts an oddly shaped Manila envelope, with three opening points, each sealed with a metal clasp. The contradiction between the title of the work and the image within strips the envelope of its purpose, since there is no way an envelope with so many odd angles could contain only a single document.  It is this sly wit and exquisite draftsmanship that characterizes the work of Havana-based collective Los Carpinteros.  Formed in 1992, the members of Los Carpinteros adopted their name in 1994, renouncing the notion of individual authorship in favor of a name representative of an older guild tradition of artisans.  Fascinated by the intersection of art and society, Los Carpinteros also incorporate social and political references in many of their works.  In Envelope for a Single Document, the artists specifically refer to issues of immigration, which has become even more prescient in recent years. The concept of immigration and migration has been a consistent theme in Los Carpinteros’ work.  For example, their large-scale installation Transportable City, 2000-2001, first exhibited at the 7th Havana Biennial, consists of an installation of ten full-scale tents shaped in iconic architectural forms, underscoring the migratory nature of contemporary urban existence.