AMPPARITO: uːː ɡʊɾːuː uːː ɡʊɾːuː

Ampparito’s first solo show at Bowman Hal is conceived by the artist not as

an exhibition but a “conceptual trompe l’oeil.” Selected elements ubiquitous

to many European cities — pigeons, monuments and weathervanes — are

humorously brought inside to invite a new perspective on the gallery and the

city beyond its walls. uːː ɡʊɾːuː uːː ɡʊɾːuː  is a playground for the imagination in

which images, objects and phonetic script elicit sounds or movements,

encouraging visitors to interact with the space and each other.

THE CITY COMES INDOORS

Public space interventions have long formed part of Ampparito’s practice, in

which scale and perspective play a fundamental role. His murals often feature

everyday objects such as cassette tapes, paper clips or plug sockets, while

projects such as Fall (Bristol, 2021) or Nada de valor (Völklinger Hütte, 2026)

play with language to reconsider monuments or historical buildings.

In uːː ɡʊɾːuː uːː ɡʊɾːuː the street comes indoors. Architectural features of

the gallery are carefully repurposed, allowing overlooked elements of the

urban landscape to suddenly take centre stage. The skirting board is trans-

formed by Pigeons (2026), a series of 475 purpose-made granite slabs, each

bearing the image of an injured pigeon photographed by the artist in Madrid.

Kinetic replicas of weathervanes found in the Spanish capital comprise the

series Veletas (2026), installed in such a way that they move as visitors pass

by. The gallery ceiling, meanwhile, plays host to Sungazing (2022-ongoing),

photographic images on tarpaulin of transformed equestrian statues.

OBSERVATION AND IRONY

Sungazing is a long-term project in which Ampparito uses mirrors to direct

the sun’s rays towards a public monument, creating an intense concentration

of light which momentarily changes the statue’s appearance. These

interventions — carried out using a mirrortransporting bicycle developed by

the artist — ironically attract attention to often-ignored statues while also

rendering them headless. The project draws on Ampparito’s fascination with

altering public space through minimally invasive means, along with his

interest in light and mirrors, already explored in Un Sol en la Sombra ft. Irene

Luna (2025) or Objeto luminoso que se hace sombra con su propia luz (2022).

While Sungazing transfigures the inaccessible using mirrors and light, Veletas

brings visitors into close physical contact with features of the sky-scape

that are normally impossible to reach. Each piece is a meticulous replica of

a weathervane in Madrid, built to scale and designed to move with the air

currents produced indoors. Pigeons, on the other hand, draws attention to

our perennial — and often maligned — companions in the urban space. It

connects with photographic collecting, along with themes of repetition and

effort, explored in previous works such as Nada de valor (2018-ongoing)

and Esperanza de Vida (2026).

INTERACTIONS AS ART

For Ampparito, “The artwork isn’t the object in itself but what happens in the

space.” uːː ɡʊɾːuː uːː ɡʊɾːuː is a surreal environment which demands physical

interaction: visitors need to arch backwards to view Sungazing, crouch to

see Pigeons, and run, walk or gesture to move the monumental indoor

weathervanes. The installation reflects Ampparito’s interest in adaptability,

ergonomics and how objects or the built environment impact on our bodies,

while also providing room for playfulness and imagination.

In this respect, the exhibition title is particularly significant. uːː ɡʊɾːuː uːː

ɡʊɾːuː is a possible phonetic transcription of cooing, which is represented and

reproduced in myriad ways by language cultures the globe. In referring to the

exhibition, visitors take on the nearimpossible task of reproducing bird call.