Joel Jimenez Jara

From the project 'Castle of innocence' by Joel Jimenez Jara

Biography

Joel Jimenez (b. 1993, Costa Rica) is a multidisciplinary artist living in Madrid, Spain. His practice operates at the crossroads of documentary and fiction, exploring the intersections between history and environmental psychology. Jimenez incorporates collective memories, stories, myths, and the emotional resonance of space to disrupt linear historical narratives and to examine the imprints of trauma and power that shape our relationship between the past and the present. His work analyzes spaces with layered histories, evolving identities, and stagnant conditions, providing a platform to reflect on the complexities of human relationships with the environment.

The project

"'Castle of Innocence' delves into the Children’s Museum of Costa Rica, an imaginative educational space for children featuring ludic scenarios; set against its historical backdrop as the former central prison.

Drawing from archival material of the prison era and diverse elements from the museum, the project challenges the influence of power structures in shaping historical narratives and questions the authenticity of photography as a truthful document.

Both the prison and the museum serve as institutions to encapsulate physical and symbolic representations of collective identities. The project intertwines these spaces in a nonlinear narrative, confronting the echoes of trauma and violence from the building’s prison history with the imaginative environments of the museum.

Due to the secretive and foreboding nature of the prison, gaps and missing information emerge, leading to a retelling where stories blend factual details and myths, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction.

Similarly, the Children’s Museum employs storytelling and imagination to educate on various themes, including historical events such as the prison’s past through replicas of different prison cells.

These parallels prompt reflection on the complex interplay of tensions, repetitions, and contradictions in the dissemination of knowledge, history, cultural heritage, and collective memory.

Simultaneously, it offers an exploration of the liminal space between protection and control, particularly relevant in our contemporary post-truth era."

From the project 'Castle of innocence' by Joel Jimenez Jara