Next openings: Calados Hasta los Huesos @ Aretè showroom, 4 Via Seneca, 19-23 April  |  An Ecology of Beasts @ BASE Milano, via Bergognone 34, 20-26 April  |  
Guillermo Cárdenas       About Index
Projects
Abanicle
Artefact
2025


A set of tactical handfans for bodies in flux

Abanicle merges traditional abanico craftsmanship with transhuman logic. Departing from the Spanish abanico (handfan) as a folkloric symbol of femininity and an extension of the body in flamenco performance, Abanicle is a chimeric reinterpretation for bodies in flux. 

In dialogue with the mythical and biomechanical themes of the exhibition “Bionicle Imaginarium Park”, Abanicle is conceived as an articulated handfan inspired by the anatomy of gargoyles and modular systems. The three main components of a traditional handfan -Varillaje, país, clavillo- are preserved yet transformed into blade-like forelimbs, mimicking the skelletal structure of winged creatures. The result is a tactical artefact oscillating between a coreographic instrument and a defensive weapon, ornament and armour.

→ Exhibited as part of the Bionicle Imaginarium Park group show in Okay Space (Athens, Greece)

Photoshoot model and styling: Engendro / Ale Figueroa