Fabian Camilo Doncel
New York Review of Architecture
reflecting
Hábitos Actuales
To compile this list of links, Hábitos Actuales engaged in email correspondence. Mariana started it by sharing a link with Juan Pablo, who responded with another link. This exchange continued over the course of several days. Given that Spanish is our mother tongue, all interactions, including the exchange of links and conversation, were conducted in this language.
The primary link in this list directs to a PDF containing the transcription of our dialogue, while the secondary link leads to its translation. We advise Spanish speakers to review the conversation in our native language.
Hábitos Actuales is an artist collective founded by Juan Pablo Uribe and Mariana Saldarriaga. It began as a spontaneous exchange of photographs between two friends and has since evolved into an ever-growing archive of images captured in public spaces around the world. This archive has been the cornerstone of their collaborative work since 2019. They view the archive as a flexible concept, serving as an excuse for careful observation, accumulation, experimentation, and analysis.
The collective's approach is deeply rooted in an understanding of the environments and cities where they exhibit their work. Although their mediums vary, their inquiries remain constant. They are drawn to the subjective, the arbitrary, the chaotic, the neglected, the inefficient, the redundant, and the absurd, using these elements to rethink complex topics.
Juan Pablo, based in New York, and Mariana, based in Bogotá, conduct their artistic practice primarily through remote digital exchanges. Their work is facilitated by Zoom calls, WhatsApp conversations, and an extensive Google Drive that houses their projects.
Hábitos Actuales has showcased their work in several group and solo exhibitions in both New York and Bogotá.