Natsumi Aoyagi. Sanitary Fables

Natsumi Aoyagi (Tokyo, 1990) is a contemporary artist and poet who works with time-based media. Her artistic practice seeks to reveal presences and transformations often overlooked by established systems and records, combining poetic language with images.

The artist presents her first solo exhibition in Portugal with the project Sanitary Fables, a video installation that investigates and problematises Lisbon’s sewerage and public sanitation infrastructure, tracing its flows through the city. 

By rethinking sanitation (so frequently taken for granted today), this work proposes a rediscovery of contemporary society through allegory and non-human perspectives. Eisei, the Japanese word for sanitation, is understood here as the act of defending one’s own life.

This project originated during Aoyagi’s first visit to Portugal. The fieldwork carried out at water reservoirs and public washhouses served as the starting point for the work. The artist’s encounter with historic reservoirs and the tranquillity of the old washing places sparked her interest in public health.

Conceived by analogy with Lisbon’s water supply and sanitation networks, which criss-cross the city, Sanitary Fables spans various locations, including public washhouses. Visitors are invited to explore Lisbon with a map in hand, discovering the fables that the work weaves throughout the route.