Fluorescein dye, released into the Grand Canal during the 1968 Venice Biennale, marked a significant pivot for Nicolás García Uriburu. While trained as an architect at the University of Buenos Aires, he shifted his focus toward land art and conceptual displays designed to expose the environmental impact of water pollution on a global scale.
Early Career and Move to Paris
Born in Buenos Aires in 1937, García Uriburu began his professional life as a painter, holding his first exhibition at the Müller Gallery in 1954. After completing his degree in architecture at the University of Buenos Aires, he moved to Paris in 1965 with his wife, Blanca Isabel Álvarez de Toledo. By 1966, he secured an artist-in-residence position at the Cité internationale des arts, where he transitioned into pop art and conceptual projects.
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García Uriburu utilized his signature fluorescein technique to color major waterways, including the Seine, the East River, and the Riachuelo. By turning water a vibrant green, he aimed to draw attention to industrial waste and habitat loss. His work extended to pastels and photographic montages, designed to allow for widespread reproduction to further his cause. He maintained these efforts through various installations, such as those showcased at the Iris Clert Gallery.
Collaborations and Later Projects
In 1981, he joined the German Green Party to dye the Rhine, where he met Joseph Beuys. The two artists collaborated the following year at the Kassel Documenta 7, participating in the planting of 7,000 oaks. Upon returning to Buenos Aires in 1982, García Uriburu intensified his reforestation efforts, personally overseeing the planting of 50,000 trees. His later years were dedicated to protesting local waterway degradation and managing the foundation that houses his art collection.
Fast facts
- Born: 1937, Buenos Aires
- Died: 2016, Buenos Aires
- Field: Architecture, Land Art
- Key Technique: Fluorescein water dyeing
- Notable Partner: Joseph Beuys
- Awards: Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (2012)
- Professional Membership: National Academy of Fine Arts (Argentina)
- Burial Site: La Chacarita Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What was the purpose of dyeing rivers green?
He used fluorescein to visualize water pollution and raise awareness regarding environmental degradation and humanistic naturalism.
Did he focus solely on architecture?
No. While he held an architecture degree, his career encompassed painting, printmaking, land art, and environmental ecology.
Achievements
- Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
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