20 april 2025, Martine Bontjes
The studio of... Cristina Lucas
Cristina Lucas’ studio is located right next to the Manzanares River, in Madrid’s Chinatown. From this studio the Spanish artist worked on her new exhibition ‘4 FAIT/H’ at tegenboschvanvreden, which reflects on the four industrial revolutions that have shaped our society. Her video "4 FAITH/BILL/BOARD" begins with the first electric train connection between Liverpool and Manchester and culminates with activists such as Holly Elmore, who call for a pause in the development of artificial intelligence. Her images are alarming, confronting us with the shadow sides of technological and ecological developments. However, Lucas is far from pessimistic. She presents a hopeful worldview in which humanity, nature, and technology do not stand in opposition, but coexist in balance: “This is neither altruistic nor naive, but an urgent need.”
Alongside her video work, there are vibrant paintings. In her "Compositions" series, we see glossy surfaces of chemical traces. These symbolize the depletion of resources like cobalt, manganese, and lithium in electric batteries, as well as the ecological damage they cause. Lucas’ work invites us to pause and reflect, precisely where speed and consumption are often the norm today.
Where is your studio, and what does it look like?
My studio is located in Madrid's Usera neighbourhood, near the river, the cultural centre Matadero and Chinatown. The atmosphere and appearance varies greatly depending on the project I’m working on, but it’s a place where I can work without inhibitions. Sometimes you know exactly what you want to do, and other times the process is much more open.
What does a typical studio day look like? Do you have certain routines to start your day?
It’s never routine. Sometimes people whom I need to work on a specific project come to visit me, and sometimes people just want to chat, and other times I need to be alone and work on something in silence. I mostly listen to music. I always leave the studio with something new to think about.
Are there elements of your chemistry education reflected in your new show?
It’s a revelation that has developed over time. The most physical, tangible, material side of the planet must find harmony with the ideological, political and social aspects. Today we know that this is fundamental. There is even a new branch of thought we call Ecosophy or Ecopolitics. I would say it consists of a new dimension of coexistence: kind to one’s environment and respectful of future generations. This is neither altruistic nor naive, but an urgent need.
Your exhibition traces the impact of four industrial revolutions. How did you manage to find a cohesive thread within such a broad and complex history?
It’s certainly a long time, but in terms of the history of Homo Sapiens itself, it’s a recent and short period, referred to as the Anthropocene. From the industrial revolution up until the technological and social changes of today. Many things have happened during this period, but the focus of the work in this exhibition is on technology and its consequences.
In the video "4 FAITH/BILL/BOARD", you use AI to transform historical images into moving visuals. Why do you choose a technology that you also question in your work? Doesn’t that seem contradictory?
AI is here to stay; we’ve been using it for a long time on our smartphones and computers. Perceptron networks emerged in the 1950s. Now, due to the vast availability of data to AI companies, their actions are increasingly evident, surprising, and disturbing. I think technology is neither good nor bad, but the use made of it is what we must consider. One of these uses is the availability of that data. Protecting privacy is crucial, so we don’t risk being easily manipulated. Fake news, discriminatory biases – the speed at which they are imposed on society is alarming. There’s a race going on to conquer the AI-singularity — a class of intelligence superior to that of humans. All of this should also be regulated, which is why a new Social Contract must be drawn up. Movements like Pause A.I. are calling for this. Its leader Joep Meindertsma (Utrecht, 1992) created the movement in 2023.
As the video continues, we see figures like Holly Elmore and Greta Thunberg resisting the damaging impact of technology and the climate crisis. Is it a coincidence that women are often at the forefront of the fight against inequality?
During the First Industrial Revolution, thinkers like Rousseau, Hobbes, Locke and others sought to reshape society through the idea of the social contract [an imagined agreement between citizens and the government: citizens give up a portion of their freedom in exchange for protection and order, ed.]. It was also during this time that feminism emerged, as women were excluded from that civic agreement. Figures like Mary Wollstonecraft and Olympe de Gouges fought to claim the same civil rights. Yet, the path toward an equal society has been uneven across the world. The goal has always been to overcome that inequality and to allow women to take the lead in critical struggles. Today, women are once again stepping forward, like Greta Thunberg in the case of the climate crisis, or Holly Elmore with Pause A.I.
In your “Compositions” series you combine different materials such as nickel, carbon, cobalt, manganese, and lithium. Is the combination of these resources deliberate? Are they part of a shared narrative?
Yes, indeed. Electric batteries are made from lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. We rely on these materials to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, yet these raw materials are also extracted. On the one hand, we have fossil fuels; on the other, these new forms of extractivism — both define today’s reflective discourse.
Alongside the large black painting "Composition: Forest Shadows I", we see fragments of coal. What do you aim to draw the viewer’s attention to?
Life on our planet is based on carbon. What we call fossil fuels are actually the forests and animals from millions of years ago. Burning them is actually erasing the memory of the planet — erasing our memories, poisoning ourselves with the pollution it generates. Beings without memory, intoxicated by greed. The painting is meant to attract, demand engagement from the viewer, to become an element. As if it is a mirror, both bright and dark, that reflects millions of years of ourselves, making us part of a chain that goes from the first bacteria to the last dinosaur.
What are your thoughts on the future of technology? Are you optimistic?
I certainly don't want to be defeatist. I believe in an empowered society that demands balance with the planet, with technology, and with democracy as a form of government. The responsibility now rests on our shoulders, our actions as citizens and as responsible consumers for the traceability of the elements that come together in an eco-political framework of which we must be aware.
