Imatges del zoo

In 1974, Fina Miralles presented her exhibition Imatges del zoo (Zoo Images) at the Sala Vinçon in Barcelona. Zoos were initially intended to be places where wild and unknown animals were shown to the public: they demonstrate human supremacy over creatures and humans’ power over animals. Here Miralles subverts the established order and overturns the usual categories: wild and exotic animals are displayed in photographs, while the cages are occupied by animals found in home environments and by the artist herself. The installation evokes the so-called ethnographic exhibitions or human zoos that the world’s fairs of the 19th century mounted to show the vast range of tribes and indigenous peoples from colonies exploited by the great mother countries. In addition, the transposition of the concept to the art space constitutes an act of exhibitionism that questions the notion of what a work is, the status of the artist and the position of the spectator, combined with a powerful critique of the idea of authority and power.