How does water shape the development of society? What happens when it disappears? Nearly every year another heat or drought record is broken, leading to severe water problems in the south of Spain. The water crisis is manifesting itself in crop failures, empty reservoirs and disappearing lagoons. Even though the climate crisis plays a significant role, the problem lies deeper and is closely linked to the cultural understanding of water. The scarcity of the resource exposes latent conflicts and is putting previously unquestioned dependencies to the test. Still, most of the social and political life in the region continues as if the exploitation of water would be without alternative. Measurements focus on the construction of more reservoirs, trasvases (water pipelines) and desalination plants. Economic objectives, especially agriculture and tourism, dominate the social and political discourse. Taking the increasing water consumption as the basis of future water use endangers the life of people and nature in the region. Water is both, the basis of Andalusia's economy and a prerequisite for an environment worth living in. If the region continues the exploitation, it will lose both. In her work “Tierra Sin Agua”, Ana Rodríguez Heinlein examines the multi-layered contexts of the water crisis in Spain.

Exhibitions

16.8.-14.9.24
F15 Gallery, Bremen

20.9.-3.11.24
Encontros da Imagem, Braga, PT

01.11.-12.12.24
Now Gallery, Berlin