Portada: Guillermo Kuitca

Carlos Garaicoa
Jos Rosenblantt
Jos Basso
Aleksandra Mir
Ian Ingram
Yue Minjun
JUNE 12 - J UNE 17
OFFICIAL SCOPE PARTY
THURS JUNE 14 10PM
SCOPE BASEL PAVILION
KASERNE
Klybeckstrasse 1b
CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland
GENERAL ADMISSION
WED
THURS
FRI
SAT
SUN
JUNE 13
JUNE 14
JUNE 15
JUNE 16
JUNE 17
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 6PM
FIRST VIEW
TUE

JUNE 12 1PM - 9PM
SAY IT LOUD, Recreating The Canon
Satch Hoyt, 2012
Courtesy of NOMAD Gallery I Brussels
Winner of The SCOPE Foundation Award
JUNE 12 - J UNE 17
OFFICIAL SCOPE PARTY
THURS JUNE 14 10PM
SCOPE BASEL PAVILION
KASERNE
Klybeckstrasse 1b
CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland
GENERAL ADMISSION
WED
THURS
FRI
SAT
SUN
JUNE 13
JUNE 14
JUNE 15
JUNE 16
JUNE 17
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 7:30PM
11AM - 6PM
FIRST VIEW
TUE

JUNE 12 1PM - 9PM
SAY IT LOUD, Recreating The Canon
Satch Hoyt, 2012
Courtesy of NOMAD Gallery I Brussels
Winner of The SCOPE Foundation Award
SCREEN
FESTIVAL
|
VIDEO ART
BARCELONA
|
17.5

2.6.2012
screen-barcelona.com
visit also:
Loop Fair
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Desde 2004...
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SUSCRIPCIONES:
(02) 952 0595 info@bora.cl
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Una publicacin
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Desde 2004...
sorprendiendo
al pblico ms difcil
de sorprender.
SUSCRIPCIONES:
(02) 952 0595 info@bora.cl
www.bora.cl
Una publicacin
Ediciones GAF Santiago
www.edicionesgaf.cl
Constanza
Khamis
Periodista
Editorial
LLuvia de meteoritos ferias
En mayo y junio de 2012 se realizarn tres importantes encuentros
para el mundo del arte: ArtBasel, muestra suiza que reunir a cerca
de 300 galeras de todo el mundo; Documenta 13, saln internacional
de arte contemporneo que se realiza cada cinco aos; y la vigsima
primera edicin de la feria trasandina ArteBa, todo un referente a nivel
latinoamericano.
ArtBasel (Basel, Suiza), que se celebra entre el 14 y 17 de junio y
que es considerada por muchos como la feria de arte ms importante
del mundo contar en su edicin 43 con la presencia de los artistas
chilenos Joaqun Cocia y Cristbal Len, quienes presentarn su video
El Arca parte de una serie de tres films titulada El Tercer Mundo, relato
de ciencia ficcin basado en la vida y obra de Athanasius Kircher, uno
de los cientficos ms importantes de la poca barroca.
Esta muestra est incluida en la tradicional seccin Art Statements:
Solo Shows by Emerging Artists, instancia que ha significado en aos
anteriores la consagracin de artistas como Takashi Murakami, William
Kentridge y Pierre Huyghe, entre otros. Dos proyectos de la seccin son
galardonados cada ao con el Baloise Art Prize, consistente en 30 mil
francos suizos y la adquisicin de las obras ganadoras para su donacin
al museo alemn Hamburger Kunsthalle y el Museum of Modern Art
Ludwig Foundation, en Viena. En el 2011, resultaron ganadores el
uruguayo Alejandro Cesarco y la britnica Ben Rivers.
Este ao, Documenta 13 (Kasel, Alemania) que por su duracin
tambin ha sido llamada la feria de los cien das- trae una
vanguardista mezcla de tecnologa y cultura ancestral. Los asistentes a
la muestra quinquenal podrn descargar una aplicacin especialmente
creada para orientarse a travs de sus smartphones por entre las obras
y obtener informacin adicional de las exhibiciones. En su edicin
anterior la feria atrajo a 754 mil visitantes.
Segn su directora, la estadounidense Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, el
encuentro de arte que se abrir el 9 de junio y permanecer abierto
hasta el 16 de septiembre- est a medio camino entre la manifestacin
artstica y la experimentacin tecnolgica. Para ello, Documenta ha
reclutado a un equipo de especialistas de amplio espectro, desde fsica
cuntica a antropologa.
La renombrada feria no ha estado exenta de polmica, ya que este
ao se extendi una invitacin a la comunidad indgena Moqoit. La
controversia se encendi debido a que la propuesta inclua el traslado
de un meteorito de ms de 4 mil aos, el segundo de mayor tamao
encontrado en la Tierra, ubicado en una regin trasandina conocida
como Campo del Cielo, lugar sagrado para los Moqoit. El proyecto de
los artistas plsticos Guillermo Faivovich y Nicols Goldberg bautizado
Una gua a Campo del Cielo se basa en una investigacin iniciada
en 2006 sobre el impacto cultural de los meteoritos. Los creadores
buscaban provocar una suerte de reflexin filosfica sobre el origen y
el destino de la humanidad. Sin embargo, tras una intensa polmica
en enero, la direccin de la feria decidi suspender la solicitud para
el viaje del aerolito, argumentando -segn la prensa argentina- que
Documenta nunca actuara en contra de los deseos de los pueblos
originarios.
En nuestra regin mayo es sinnimo de arte porque entre el 18 y el
22 de mayo, se realiza la feria ArteBa (Buenos Aires, Argentina),
encuentro que en 2011 reuni a ms de 120 mil asistentes en cinco
das. La muestra instalada en La Rural de Palermo- contar este ao
con la presencia de dos galeras chilenas: Isabel Aninat y XS, espacio
consagrado al arte joven. La lista de artistas de Isabel Aninat incluye a
al Colectivo Aninat & Swinburn (Teresa Aninat y Catalina Swinburn),
Paula De Solminihac, Voluspa Jarpa, Catalina Mena, Liliana Porter
y Pedro Tyler. Pese a que la directora de la Galera XS, Ana Mara
Jorquera, haba participado en ediciones anteriores de ArteBa, es el
primer ao que esta sala de exhibiciones forma parte del evento.
En este nmero de ARTE AL LIMITE presentamos una entrevista con
el reconocido artista visual cubano Carlos Garaicoa, donde reflexiona
sobre su trayectoria enfrentada a la sociedad, la violencia, la ciudad
y los desplazamientos del lenguaje artstico. Yo soy un animal civil
inconforme que ha encontrado en el arte un modo de provocar,
asegura el autor.
Adems, inauguramos con el artista Yu Minjun una amplia serie de
artculos sobre creadores contemporneos chinos, que con un discurso
crtico, un toque de irona y un variado nmero de tcnicas, han
transformado la faz del arte oriental de nuestra poca.
Fernanda
Reyes
Colaboradora /
Mexico
Ana Mara
Matthei
Directora
Ricardo
Duch
Director
Cristbal
Duch
Director Comercial
Catalina
Papic
Directora de Arte
Manuel
Munive
Crtico / Per
Cecilia
Bay
Crtica / Bolivia
Julio
Sapollnik
Crtico / Argentina
Simona
Spinola
Escritora /
Italia
Camila
Duch
Proyectos
Culturales
Valeria
Sols
Periodista
Laeticia
Mello
Curadora /
Argentina
Aina
Mercader
Crtica de arte /
Espaa
Demetrio
Paparoni
Crtico de arte /
Italia
During May and June 2012, three important gatherings for the world
of art will take place: ArtBasel, a Swiss exhibition that will congregate
around 300 galleries of the whole world; Documenta 13, a contemporary
art international salon which is carried out every five years; and the
twenty-first edition of the Argentinean fair ArteBa, a whole point of
reference for Latin American art.
ArtBasel (Basel, Switzerland), takes place between the 14th and the
17th of June and is considered by many, the most important art fair in the
world, and at its 43rd edition it will include the presence of the Chilean
artists Joaquin Cocia and Cristobal Leon, who will present their video
El Arca, part of a series of three films entitled El Tercer Mundo, a science
fiction story based on the life and works of Athanasius Kircher, one of the
most important scientists of the baroque period.
This exhibit is included in the traditional section Art Statements: Solo
Shows by Emerging Artists, an opportunity that in previous years has
resulted in the consecration of artists like Takashi Murakami, William
Kentridge and Pierre Huyghe, amongst others. Two projects of this
section are awarded each year with the Baloise Art Prize, which
consists of 30 thousand Swiss Francs and the acquisition of the winning
pieces for being donated to the German museum Hamburger Kunsthalle
and the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation, in Vienna. In 2011,
the winners were the Uruguayan Alejandro Cesarco and the British
artist Ben Rivers.
This year, Documenta 13 (Kasel, Germany) also known as the 100-
day event- brings a forefront mix of technology and ancestral culture.
The attendants to this five-yearly event will be able to download an
application which has been especially created for helping people find
their way around the works with their smartphones and obtaining
additional information of the exhibitions. During its previous edition,
the fair attracted 754 thousand visitors.
According to its manager, the American, Carolyn Cristov-Bakargiev, the
art gathering which will open on June 9th and will remain open until
September 16th- is half way between an artistic manifestation and a
technological experimentation. For that, Documenta has hired a team
of broadband specialists that specialize in subjects that range from
quantic physics to anthropologists.
The renowned fair has not been exempt of polemics, since this year
an invitation was offered to the indigenous community Moqoit. The
controversy caught on due to the fact that the proposal included the
transportation of a meteorite that is over 4 thousand years old, the
second largest found on Earth, found in the Argentinean region known as
Campo del Cielo, a sacred place for the Moqoit. The project of the plastic
artists Guillermo Faivovich and Nicolas Goldberg entitled Una guia a
Campo del Cielo is based on an investigation that started in 2006 about
the cultural impact of meteorites. The creators were searching to provoke
a sort of philosophical reflexion about the origin and destiny of humanity.
However, after the intense polemic last January, the fair management
decided to cancel the request for the transportation of the meteorite,
arguing according to Argentinean press- that Documenta would never
act against the wishes of native people
In our region, May is synonym of art because between the 18th to the
22nd of May, the ArteBa (Buenos Aires, Argentina) fair takes place. An
event, which in 2011, gathered more than 120 thousand attendants in
five days. This year, the exhibition established at La Rural de Palermo-
will include the presence of two Chilean galleries: Isabel Aninat and
XS, a space dedicated to young art. The list of artists of Isabel Aninat
includes the Colectivo Aninat & Swinburn (Teresa Aninat and Catalina
Swinburn), Paula de Solminihac, Voluspa Jarpa, Catalina Mena, Liliana
Porter and Pedro Tyler. Despite the fact that the manager of the Galeria
XS, Ana Maria Jorquera, had already participated on previous occasions
at ArteBa, this is the first year that this exhibition gallery will take part in
the event.
In this edition of ARTE AL LIMITE we present an interview of the
remowned visual artist Carlos Garaicoa, where he reflects about his
trayectory confronted with society, violence, the city and the movement
of artistic language. I am an unhappy civil animal who has found in art
a way to provoke, says the author.
Furthermore, with Yu Minjun, we launch an extended series of Chinese
contemporary artists who through a critical discourse, a touch of irony
and an uncountable number of techniques, have transformed the face of
the oriental art of our times.
Meteor Fairs shower
Anna
Astor Blanco
Colaboradora
/ Puerto Rico
Orlando
Brito
Crtico de arte /
Espaa
Ernesto
Muoz
Crtico / Chile
Anglica
Navarro O.
Editora/Corrector
Ignacio
del Solar
Asesor
Francisca
Medina
Periodista
Jorge
Azcar
Asesor de Diseo
Paola
Mosso
Periodista
Mara De
Giovanni
Colaboradora
/ Argentina
Yuriko
Takahashi V.
Periodista
Paulina
Loyola
Diseadora
Grfica
Camila
Jofr F.
Diseadora
Grfica
Juan Jose
Santos
Editor General
Antionella
Galarce
Periodista
Consuelo
Pivcevic
Diseadora
Grfica
GA S TN UGA L DE
SAL AR GAL ER A DE ART E
www. s al ar t . or g | i nf o@s al ar t . or g
MUSEO NACIONAL DE ARTE LA PAZ - MARZO 24 | MAYO 3
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AVISO REVISTA - CINE - ARTE AL LIMTE - 28 X 25.pdf 1 13-04-12 16:32
artist@daphneartist.cl
www.daphneanastassiou.cl
4 Medium 200x140cm
Daphne Anastassiou
www.arteallimite.com/daphneanastassiou
Summary
Sumario
REPRESENTANTES INTERNACIONALES
Alfredo Ginocchio (Mxico)
Julio Sapollnik (Argentina)
jsapollnik@gmail.com
Elisa Montesinos (Nueva York, EE.UU.)
emontesius@gmail.com
Manuel Munive (Per)
manuelmunive@yahoo.es
Alejandro Plasencia (Madrid, Espaa)
ASESORES
Ignacio del Solar
REPRESENTANTE LEGAL
Orlando Caldern
TRADUCCIN INGLS
Soledad Contardo
Anglica Navarro
SUSCRIPCIONES
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IMPRESIN
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Santiago de Chile.
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VENTA PUBLICIDAD
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Derechos reservados
Publicaciones Arte Al Lmite Ltda.
IMAGEN PORTADA
"New York State Theater", 2005
tcnica mixta sobre papel
148.3 x 149.2 cm.
Private Collection
Courtesy Sperone Westwater,
New York.
24
14
Carlos Garaicoa
Arte como acto civil
Art as a civil act
Guillermo Kuitca
Everything y ms
Everything and more
32
PAtRICIo REIG
Inmortalizando momentos
Immortalizing moments
38
IvAn DAIBER
Exxxxxxxr
Nxxxxxxxxxxxxx
44
JoS RoSEnBLAtt
Creador de universos
Creator of universes
54
MERCEDES BALIARDA
Elogio de lo bello, esa parte inadmisible de lo terrible
Praise of the beautiful, that inadmissible part of the terrible
60
SoFA LPEz MAn
Apropiacin de una presencia ausente
Appropriation of an absent presence
66
IAn InGRAM
El espectro completo de la realidad
The complete spectrum of reality
74
JoS BASSo
Economa de formas, emociones profundas
Economy of forms, deep emotions
88
CARMEn AnzAno
Deshilando a la artista
Unthreading the artist
106
YuE MInJun
Fxxxxxxxxxxx
Frxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
82
ALBERto BAStn DAz
Espacio dramtico y vrtigo
Dramatic space and vrtigo
96
ALEKSAnDRA MIR
Un arte colaborativo desde el imaginario cotidiano
Collaborative art from the imaginary of the everyday
117
ABSoLut
Inspira un nuevo movimiento de creatividad con absolut blank
Inspires a new creative movement with absolut blank
120
KEnJI nAKAMA
Irrupcin orgnica
Organic breakthrough
Av. Santa Fe 28x25 cm.indd 1 03-04-12 11:12
EvErything y ms i EvERYthInG AnD MoRE
Exposiciones antolgicas, Andy Warhol, mapas,
Gabriel Garca Mrquez, una beca que lleva su
nombre, el teatro y la posibilidad de volver a
exponer en Amrica Latina.
Hes been an artist forever, he holds exhibitions
regularly at the most prestigious museums and
galleries of the world, and his work is part of the
most important private and public collections.
Guillermo kuitca
tEXto Mara De Giovanni . crtica de arte (Argentina)
FotoGRAFAS cortesa de Sperone Westwater, new York
"Sin ttulo" (parte del piso de marmol y del coro de la Catedral de notre Dame de Paris), 1999, lpiz grfito y tinta , 196.9 x 161 cm.
Argentina | Argentina
Pintura | Painting
14 . 15
"Sin ttulo" (parte del piso de marmol y del coro de la Catedral de notre Dame de Paris), 1999, lpiz grfito y tinta , 196.9 x 161 cm.
ecember 2011, at the Open Studio of the Beca Kuitca (Buenos
Aires, UTDT). Each one of the workspaces of the participating
artists was open to a festive and large crowd. And amongst all those
people, there was Guillermo Kuitca (Argentina, 1961). Due to the fasci-
nation I have for his work and without giving much thought to the fact
that I was next to one of the most important contemporary artists of the
world otherwise I might have not had the courage to-, I approached
him and expressed my interest in meeting with him to talk about his
work. He, generously, accepted. That, long waited for day, fnally ar-
rived in autumn: it was the 16th of April, at his workshop.
Guillermo Kuitca: Everything, Painting and Works on Paper,
1980-2008 is the title of your last anthological exhibition, pre-
sented in 2009 at the Miami Art Museum, and shown between
2010 and 2011 at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo; the
Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Hirshhorn Museum
in Washington. How did you come up with the proposal for its
realization and why did you call it like that?
Originally it was Olga Viso who came up with the idea, after seeing
an anthological exhibition of my work at the Museo Reina Sofa in Ma-
drid. Then I had meetings with Douglas Dreishpoon throughout a whole
year in order to decide what we were going to show and what not, and
where the focus should be aimed at. Then, he was the one in charge of
giving it the fnal shape. For this exhibit I worked a lot on the catalogue,
which has four essays that I like very much and that include conversa-
tions with Graciela Speranza. Concerning the title, that Everything is
a little bit of a play of words: from one point of view its a very inclusive
term that suggests that one will really see everything. However it is
impossible to show it all, so that all is the all that proposes each work
itself. So, the title is, lets say, a certain metaphoric cheekiness.
One of the characteristic questions that appear throughout
your whole pictorial work is the idea of space: space of the bed
as the physical space where one lives, the staging space; the
domestic architectural space... I think that a work that really
made an impact on me when I saw it for the frst time, in 1985
is: Corona de espinas, which is the foor of a small apartment,
outlined with thorns. I though that this work defned very syn-
chronically the being of Christianity.
There, the crown of thorns is taken as a religious element, and
becomes the instrument to defne spaces. In principle they are domes-
tic, but then they appear in the defnition of urban spaces. Because
that element, like bones, needles, forks appear to make up cities. But
iciembre de 2011 en el Estudio Abierto de la Beca Kuitca
(Buenos Aires, UTDT). Cada uno de los espacios de trabajo de
los artistas participantes se haba abierto a un pblico tumultuoso y
festivo. Y en medio de toda esa gente estaba Guillermo Kuitca (Ar-
gentina, 1961). En la fascinacin por su obra, y sin pensar demasiado
en que me hallaba frente a uno de los artistas contemporneos ms
importantes del mundo quiz de otro modo no me hubiera animado,
me acerqu y le expres mi inters en encontrarnos para conversar
acerca de su trabajo. Generoso, acept. Ese da tan esperado lleg con
el otoo: fue el 16 de abril, en su taller.
Guillermo Kuitca: Everything, Painting and Works on Paper,
1980-2008 es el ttulo de su ltima muestra antolgica, que fue
inaugurada en 2009 en el Miami Art Museum, y exhibida entre
2010 y 2011 en el Albright-Knox Art Gallery en Buffalo; en el
Walker Art Center en Minneapolis, y en el Hirshhorn Museum en
Washington. Cmo surgi la propuesta para su realizacin y por
qu le puso ese nombre?
En principio fue Olga Viso quien comenz a pensar en ella, luego de
ver una exposicin antolgica de mi obra en el Museo Reina Sofa
en Madrid. Y despus me reun durante ms de un ao con Douglas
Dreishpoon para decidir qu bamos a mostrar y qu no, y dnde
bamos a poner el foco. Luego, l se encarg de darle la forma fnal.
Para esta muestra trabaj muchsimo en el catlogo, que tiene cuatro
ensayos que me gustan mucho y que incluye mis conversaciones con
Graciela Speranza. Con respecto al ttulo, ese Everything es un poco
un juego: por un lado es un trmino muy inclusivo, que supone que
uno ver realmente todo. Y sin embargo es imposible mostrarlo todo,
entonces ese todo es el todo que propone cada obra en s misma.
As, el ttulo es, digamos, cierta picarda metafrica.
Una de las cuestiones caractersticas que aparece en toda su obra
pictrica es la idea del espacio: el espacio de la cama como lugar
fsico en el que uno habita; el espacio escnico; el espacio arqui-
tectnico domstico...Pienso en una obra que me impact much-
simo cuando la vi por primera vez, en 1995: Corona de espinas,
que es la planta de un pequeo departamento, delineada con
espinas. Pens que la obra defna de modo increblemente sincr-
tico el ser de la religin cristiana.
All la corona de espinas est tomada como un elemento religioso, y
se convierte en vehculo para defnir espacios. En principio domsticos,
pero luego tambin aparece en la defnicin de espacios urbanos. Porque
ese elemento, como los huesos, las jeringas, los tenedores, aparecen
d d
"Carnegie hall", 2004, tcnica mixta sobre papel, 149 x 149 cm. hoja, 159,2 x 159,2 cm. marco.
armando ciudades. Pero quiz ha habido un malentendido acerca de estas
obras: algunas veces se ha interpretado que en ellas haba referencias a
campos de concentracin, a espacios confnados. Pero no, me interesaba el
elemento religioso como cono para defnir territorios. En el caso de los de-
partamentos siempre es la misma planta, que para m evoca la planta tipo
de un departamento urbano; el espacio domstico de una unidad familiar
occidental y de clase media.
Hay algo de Warhol en el inters por lo medio?
No, mi inters por Warhol es muy posterior. Aqu no hay brillo, no hay
fama, no hay Liz Taylor, no hay nada. Es decir, todo lo contrario. Si quiere
juntarlo me parece que la asociacin es un poco forzada, pero dira que la
planta del departamento no es la cultura popular en s sino el espacio de
los consumidores de la cultura popular... Obviamente, la banda sonora de
estas obras es la televisin prendida las veinticuatro horas.
Luego, en una especie de alejamiento respecto de esas plantas
domsticas, el espacio se presenta en su obra en forma de mapas.
Mapas que incluso ha pintado sobre colchones, en esa obra tan
emblemtica presentada en Documenta IX (Kassel, 1992). Y ms
tarde el inters por el espacio aparecer en los teatros. Cmo
comienza a trabajar en ellos?
Surgen en un momento en el que vuelvo a interesarme por la arquitec-
tura. Ya no por la arquitectura domstica sino por la arquitectura pblica:
plantas de ofcinas, hoteles, centros de convencin, estadios, hospitales,
cementerios. Y entre todas estas arquitecturas apareci el teatro. En rea-
lidad el teatro haba sido un referente muy fuerte en mi obra, en los aos
ochenta. Pero ahora era diferente, porque mi inters ya no estaba puesto
en el espacio escnico, como en aquel entonces, sino en el espacio del
espectador. Haba un giro de ciento ochenta grados. Y entre todas las
plantas de diferentes teatros hubo una que se mantuvo con mucha in-
sistencia, que es la planta del Covent Garden en Londres. Es una planta
que a m me gusta mucho, y el uso reiterado de ella me permiti hacer
muchas variaciones, muchos juegos.
Como enviado argentino, en 2007 particip de la 52 edicin de
la Bienal de Venecia con la presentacin de la serie Si yo fuera el
invierno mismo, compuesta por cuatro obras abstractas de gran
tamao: Desenlace I-IV. Aqu tambin trabaj con el espacio;
uno que de algn modo recompone el espacio discontinuado de
Lucio Fontana y que, aunque no se lo haya propuesto, evoca el
espacio pictrico moderno surgido a partir del cubismo. Qu nos
puede decir de estas obras?
Son obras que todava me resultan nuevas, sobre las que no creo poder
maybe there was a misunderstanding regarding these works: some-
times they have been thought to represent concentration camps, con-
fned spaces. But no, what I am interested in is the religious element as
an icon to defne territories. In the case of the apartments, it is always
the same foor layout, which to me it represents the typical layout of a
city apartment; the typical domestic space of a western middle-class
family unit.
Is there some Warhol on this interest for middle class culture?
No, my interest for Warhol comes much later. Here there is no shine,
no fame, there is no Liz Taylor, there is nothing. That is, its the oppo-
site. If you want to put them together I think that its a little bit forced,
but I would say that the apartment layout is not popular culture itself,
but the space of the consumers of popular art... Obviously, the sound-
track for these works is a television set, on, twenty-four hours a day.
After a sort of distancing from these domestic foor layouts,
space is represented in your works in the form of maps. Maps
that in that work, which is so emblematic, you have even painted
on mattresses, and that you presented in Documenta IX (Kassel,
1992). And later this interest for space will be shown in theatres.
How do you begin to work with them?
They came up during a moment when I got interested in architecture
again. It is no longer domestic architecture, but public architecture:
offces, hotels, convention centers, stadiums, hospitals and cemeteries.
And amongst all those types of architecture, theatre came up. In fact,
theatre had always been a very strong reference in my work, during the
eighties. But now it was different, because my interest was no lon-
ger on the staging space, like back then, but rather in the spectators
space. There was a 180 degrees turn, and amongst all the foor layouts
of the different theatres that there was, there was one that remained
very persistently, and that was the one of the Covent Garden in London.
It is a layout that I like very much, and using it repeatedly allowed me
to do many variations, to play with it a lot.
In 2007, you participated at the 52nd edition of the Venice
Biennale as the Argentinian representative with the series Si yo
fuera el invierno mismo, made up of four large format abstract
pieces: Desenlace I-IV. Here you also worked with space; which
in a certain way it recomposes the discontinuous space of Lucio
Fontana and that, although it wasnt thought like that, it evokes
the modern pictorial space which is born from cubism. What can
you tell us about these works?
They are Works which still seem new to me, and I cannot really refer
"new opera house", oslo, 2005, tcnica mixta sobre papel, 148 x 149,9 cm. hoja,154,9 x 155,6 cm. marco.
expresarme con la misma certeza con la que me expreso cuando me
refero a las plantas, a los teatros o a los mapas. Lo que apareci aqu,
sin intencionalidad alguna, es una evocacin del arte moderno. Enton-
ces empec a pensar que los cien aos que haban transcurrido entre la
presentacin de Les Demoiselles dAvignon y la presentacin de estas
obras eran Cien aos de soledad. Con esta cita al libro de Garca Mrquez
no me refero a su contenido, sino que simplemente tom el ttulo por
la correspondencia con el espacio temporal. Un lapso que en realidad
tampoco es exactamente esos cien aos, pues sta es una cifra retrica.
De todos modos, esos cien aos introducen en mi obra una dimensin
no tanto espacial sino temporal, porque hay un juego con el pasado. Y
ese tiempo tiene que ver con la soledad porque a partir del siglo XX,
consciente o inconscientemente, los artistas supieron que le estaban
hablando no ya a un colectivo de espectadores sino a individualidades.
Entonces la soledad no es algo que presente la obra sino que se refere a
la soledad del espectador frente a ella. Porque me parece que la pintura
permite esa especie de privacidad: no podemos determinar para nada
qu est pasando en la cabeza de quien la est mirando. Y eso no ocurre
en otros medios como la fotografa, por ejemplo, en la que al menos pue-
de haber consenso acerca de lo que se ve.
Como en los teatros, aparece aqu un desplazamiento de
ciento ochenta grados: del espacio escnico en este caso la
obra misma al espacio del espectador. Un espectador fragmen-
tado, quiz posmoderno.
[La expectacin] es un hecho posmoderno, pero mis obras no son pos-
modernas: yo trat de pasar por encima de la posmodernidad. Sobre todo
porque, como haba algunos elementos que hacan eco en el pasado,
trat de no caer en la cita o el pastiche. No hay representacin de nada,
y por eso no buscan ni citan el cubismo sino que suceden en un lenguaje
que por momentos parece cubistoide, por decirlo de algn modo. Me
gusta la idea de Andreas Huyssen en un ensayo muy lindo que escribi
sobre mi obra, que se refere al modernismo despus del posmodernismo.
En algunas obras sobre las que est trabajando ahora veo cmo
empiezan a interactuar estos nuevos elementos
S, es como que empiezan a visitarse, a contaminarse. Y eso est
bueno. Lo ms distintivo es que empec a trabajar con una especie de
lneas que parecen rutas. Y esas rutas estn como en tres dimensiones,
como superpuestas sobre esos espacios que asumen referencias un poco
modernistas, un poco acadmicas. Entonces lo de atrs [de esas rutas]
aparece como una topografa, un terreno. Son cuadros surcados por un
camino; son cuadros vagamente cartogrfcos pero sin referencia de lu-
gar: no tienen nombres ni nmeros de rutas. Y eso es lo caracterstico de
to them with the same certitude as when I refer to the foor layouts, to
the theatres or to the maps. What happened here, without any inten-
sion, is the evocation of modern art. So I started to think about the
one hundred years that had passed between the presentation of Les
Demoiselles dAvignon and the presentation of these works was A
hundred years of solitude. By quoting the Book of Garcia Marquez I am
not referring to its content, I simply borrowed the title for its correspon-
dence with temporal space. A lapse, which, in reality, is not a hundred
years either, since this fgure, is rhetorical. Any way, these one hundred
years introduce into my work not so much a spatial dimension, but
rather a temporal one, because there is a play with the past. And that
time has to do with solitude because since the 20th century, conscious-
ly or non-consciously, the artists knew that they were no longer talking
to a group of spectators, but to individuals instead. Then solitude is
not something that the work introduces but it refers to the solitude of
the spectator who is in front of it. Because I think that painting allows
that kind of privacy: we cannot determine at all what is going through
the head of the one looking at it. And that doesnt happen with other
medias like photography, for example, where there can, at least, be a
consensus about what is seen.
Like it happens with the theatres, here there is a one hundred
and eigthy degree turn: of the staging space in the case of the
play itself- towards the space of the spectator. A fragmented
spectator, maybe a postmodern one.
[Expectation] Is a postmodern fact, but my works are not postmod-
ern: I tried to bypass postmodernism. Especially because, since there
were certain elements that echoed from the past, I tried not to fall into
quotations or pastiche. There is no representation of anything, and
that is why they do not look for or quote cubism, but they happen in a
language that at times seems cuboid, to put it in a certain way. I like
the idea of Andreas Huyssen, that in a very nice essay he wrote about
my work, referring to it as modernism after postmodernism.
In some works on which you are working on now, I can see
how these new elements begin to interact
Yes, its like they start to visit each other, to pollute each other. And
that is good. The most characteristic of this is that I started to work
with lines that sort of look like routes. And those routes are like in three
dimensions, like superimposed on spaces that assume references that
are a little modernists, little bit academic. So what is behind [of these
routes] comes up like topography of the ground. They are paintings fur-
rowed by a path; paintings that are vaguely cartographic but without
a reference of the place: they dont have numbers of roads. And that is
"Covent Garden vII", 2005, tcnica mixta sobre papel,148 x 148.6 cm. hoja, 155.2 x 155.6 cm. marco.
estas obras de los ltimos dos aos. Luego, las ltimas que pint para la
prxima muestra en Londres tienen que ver con la recuperacin del inte-
rs que los artistas tenemos desde siempre por cierto arte amateur, cierto
arte casi feo. Estoy tratando de producir obras que sean francamente ma-
las. No como evocacin ni tributo al bad art sino que en ellas aparece una
sensibilidad quiz ligada a esos cuadros que haba en la Argentina en
los aos cincuenta y sesenta, que no eran nada. Es que mucho del arte
latinoamericano de esa poca est en una especie de limbo con respecto
a las vanguardias, lo cual es muy bueno porque genera cuerpos de obras
que son como ovni. Y uno puede mirar eso sin descifrarlo, porque no se
lo puede enmarcar en una situacin crtica como al expresionismo o al
pop, por ejemplo. Entonces me da la sensacin de que esa sensibilidad
aparece en mis cuadros recientes aunque todava no sepa bien de qu
se trata, y que esto no hubiera sido posible en mis cuadros anteriores.
Supongo que es una poca, para m, en la que siento que puedo pintar
cualquier cosa. Y eso es muy lindo, hay que festejarlo.
Podra comentar en qu consiste la Beca Kuitca?
La Beca es una de las cosas lindas de mi vida. Es un proyecto nmade,
en el sentido de que cada edicin estuvo asociada a diferentes institu-
ciones. Comenz en 1991, con unas ganas enormes de hacer algo bueno,
en respuesta a la falta de discusin que en ese entonces haba entre
los artistas sobre el arte que estbamos haciendo. Para m la Beca es
realmente trabajar con colegas, porque si bien se discute sobre la obra de
ellos, y no sobre la ma, en el caso de esta ltima edicin, por ejemplo, los
veinte artistas que participaron fueron seleccionados de entre quinien-
tos postulantes. Estos pero tambin los de las ediciones pasadas son
artistas realmente talentosos que ya transitan un camino en el arte, ms
all de que formen o no parte de la Beca. Y mi trabajo, fascinante y a la
vez agotador, consiste en conocer ntimamente a cada uno de ellos, en
comprender que la riqueza de uno es diferente a la riqueza del otro.
Qu proyectos expositivos tiene para un futuro prximo?
A fnes de mayo se inaugura una muestra en Hauser & Wirth en Lon-
dres. All presento obras de los ltimos tres aos. En septiembre estar
en The Drawing Center en Nueva York, en donde se exhibirn mis Dia-
rios de los ltimos cinco aos. stos integran una serie iniciada en 1994
que consiste en utilizar el tablero circular de mi mesa de trabajo como
soporte. Sobre l voy haciendo dibujos, como ahora mientras converso
con usted por ejemplo. Y desde hace un ao estoy trabajando en la rea-
lizacin de una nueva muestra antolgica, que en principio se exhibira
en 2013 en el Instituto Tomie Othake en San Pablo, y despus en otros
pases que podran ser Mxico y Per. Estoy muy entusiasmado con la
idea de volver a exponer en Amrica Latina.
what characterizes these works form the last two years. Then, the last
ones that I painted for the coming exhibition in London have to do with
recovering the interest that us artists have always had for a certain am-
ateur type of art that is almost ugly. I am trying to reproduce works that
are frankly bad. Not for giving tribute to bad art, but in them there is a
sort of sensibility that is maybe linked to those paintings that existed
in the Argentina of the ffties and sixties, that were nothing. The thing
is that much of Latin American art of that time is in a sort of limbo in
comparison to the vanguard, something which is very good because it
creates bodies of work that are like a UFO. And one cannot look at this
without decoding it, because it cannot be framed in a critical situation
like with expressionism or pop. Then it gives me the feeling that sensi-
tivity appears in my recent paintings although I am still not quite sure
what it is about-, and that couldnt have been possible in my previous
paintings. I suppose that it is an era, for me, where I feel that I can
paint anything. And that is beautiful, its something for celebrating.
Could you tell us what the Beca Kuitca grant-is?
The Beca is one of the most beautiful things in my life. It is a nomad
project, in the sense that each edition has been associated to different
institutions. It started in 1991, when I had an enormous desire to do some-
thing good, in response to the lack of discussion that there was, in those
days, between artists about the type of art that we were doing. For me, the
Beca is really about working with colleagues, because although it is about
talking of their work, and not about mine, in the case of the last edition, for
example, the twenty artists that participated were selected amongst fve
hundred applicants. So they but also the ones in previous editions- are
really talented artists who already walk the path of art, whether they make
part of the Beca or not. And my work, fascinating and at the same exhaust-
ing, consists on getting to know each one of them very deeply, of under-
standing that the richness of one is different to the richness of the other.
What are your exhibition projects for the near future?
At the end of May, there is the opening of an exhibition at Hauser &
Wirth in London. There I present works of the last three years. Then, in
September I will be at the Drawing Center in New York, where they will
show my Diarios of the last fve years. These make part of a series that
started in 1994, which consists of using the circular board of my work-
table as a support. In it I make drawings, like now whilst I am talking
to you for example. And during the last year, I have been working on a
new anthological exhibition, which in theory, will be exhibited in 2013
and the Instituto Tomie Othake in Sao Paolo, and then in other coun-
tries that could be Mexico and Peru. I am very excited with the idea of
exhibiting in Latin America again.
"Avery Fisher hall", 2004, tcnica mixta sobre papel, 149 x 149 cm, hoja, 159,2 x 159,2 cm, marco.
Carlos Garaicoa
ArtE como Acto civil | ARt AS A CIvIL ACt
Entrevista entre Lillebit Fadraga, vernica tronnolone y Carlos Garaicoa, publi-
cada en el catlogo de la exposicin La Mala Semilla, Carlos Garaicoa, Castillo
de Blandy-les-tours, Intendencia regional de Siene-et-Marne. 28 de Junio - 20
de Septiembre 2009.
Fotografas cortesa de Carlos Garaicoa
Cuba | Cuba
Artista multidisciplinario | Multidisciplinary Artist
24 . 25
Carlos Garaicoa (Cuba, 1967) is a well world-
renowned artist for the critical character of a work
that was conceived and is conceptually supported
in his native town, La Habana, but that is deeply
rooted in global society. Three years ago, France
held a representative and complete exhibition
of Garaicoas work, whose different angles were
discussed by the Cuban in 2009. Here we present
to you the fruits of those reflexions.
Carlos Garaicoa (Cuba, 1967) es un artista de gran
reconocimiento mundial por el carcter crtico de una
obra que naci y se sustenta conceptualmente en su
ciudad natal, La Habana, pero que est profundamente
arraigada en la sociedad global. Hace tres aos Francia
alberg una exposicin completa y representativa de
la obra de Garaicoa, cuyas diferentes aristas fueron
comentadas por el cubano en 2009. Aqu presentamos
un extracto de esas reflexiones.
Lo viejo y lo nuevo en ARCo Madrid, 2011, instalacin de 12 grabados franceses del siglo XIX, cartn, acrlico y madera,
dimensiones variables. Fotografa de oak taylor-Smith.
ara esta exhibicin, la ms grande hasta ahora en Francia,
renes trabajos del ao 2002 al presente. Cul es el eje
curatorial de esta exhibicin?
La exposicin en Blandy les Tours fue pensada como una reunin de las
obras de ms reciente produccin que fuesen capaces de resistir el embate
visual que tiene un espacio como este castillo/fortaleza en Seine-et-Marne.
Con la excepcin de una pieza del 2002 (No Way Out), todas las dems
obras han sido producidas en los ltimos tres aos, y otras fueron hechas
especfcamente para esta ocasin.
Aunque se busc trabajar desde este comodn dictado por el espacio mis-
mo, la exposicin gira sobre algunas respuestas que he estado buscando
a problemticas sociales concretas, como pueden ser los lmites de la histo-
ria y las lecturas que hacemos de ella, la relacin que mantenemos con
las sociedades de control, y la violencia que ejerce el poder -por diferentes
medios- sobre los individuos. Toda mi obra pretende dar respuestas, a tra-
vs del uso de diferentes lenguajes y materiales, a sus propias obsesiones
lingsticas, que en mi caso pudieran ser el uso del archivo y del libro como
forma y contenido, juegos entre la fccin constructiva de la ciudad y la his-
toria social que sta encarna, y un inters desde la escultura, la instalacin
y el site specifc como respuesta a la arquitectura y el urbanismo.
Muchas de las obras de la exhibicin tienen un gran contenido
critico The Jewels of the Crown, La plus belle sculpture,
or this, your biggest show until now in France, you put to-
gether works from 2002 to the present. What was the curato-
rial axis of this exhibition?
The exhibition in Blandy-les-Tours was conceived as a reunion of
the most recent works produced that could be capable of resisting the
visual battering that a space like this castle/fortress in Seine-et Marne
can produce. With the exception of one piece from 2002 (No Way
Out), all the other works have been created in the last three years, and
others were made especially for this occasion.
Although the idea was to work around this wildcard that was dictated by
the space itself, the exhibition revolves around some answers that I have
been searching for to address concrete social situations, like the limitations
of history and the interpretations we give to them, the relationship that we
maintain with societies of control, and the violence that exerts power using
different means- over individuals. All of my work pretends to give answers,
by using different languages and materials, and their own linguistic obses-
sions, which in my case could be the use of archives and books as well as
form and content, the play between the constructive fction of the city and
the social history that it incarnates, and an interest from sculpture, installa-
tion and site-specifc as an answer to architecture and urbanism.
Many of the works in the show have a very critical content The
Jewels of the Crown, La plus belle sculpture, The Myth of
p
f
Fotografa de Wilfried Petzi y cortesa de Barbara Gross Galerie.
Fotografa de Wilfried Petzi y cortesa de Barbara Gross Galerie.
The Myth of Malasaa, Untitled (Le nez de Sarkozy); Portrait
(Europe) -, otros son de una profunda presencia esttica -No
Way Out, Habana-Matanzas, De la serie construyendo ciuda-
des, The drawing, the writing, the abstraction-. Buscas algn
equilibrio cuando escoges las obras que sern parte de la muestra?
Las artes visuales, tanto como cualquier otro lenguaje artstico, son
espacios donde exponer problemticas de orden poltico y social, y donde
lograr un compromiso crtico con la sociedad. Creo en un arte todava
capaz de crear sentido, donde lo ms importante es el papel del artista e
intelectual como portador de ese mensaje. De ese compromiso social pue-
de nacer y exprimirse la belleza ms absoluta. No veo divorcio entre mis
propuestas de carcter ms frontal y polticamente crticas con otras que
tratan de discernir dilemas de orden lingstico y esttico y que tratan de
encontrar nuevos patrones de comportamiento del lenguaje. Las grandes
revoluciones y posiciones crticas dentro de la historia del arte se han dado
por los desplazamientos que ha ido sufriendo el lenguaje artstico, desde la
impronta impresionista hasta las discusiones de la naturaleza del lenguaje
conceptual de los aos 70. Me gustara poder retar al pedestal de la hipo-
cresa poltica con un objeto extremadamente bello. Por desgracia esos
momentos desestabilizadores desde el arte son cada vez ms escasos, por
lo que no nos queda ms que seguir insistiendo en la creacin de sentidos
y la creacin de un espacio de irresistible belleza a travs de nuevos arte-
factos, de nuevas bsquedas dentro del lenguaje. Una buena exposicin
necesita de ambos caminos. De ah la aparente contradiccin.
Malasaa, Untitled (Le nez de Sarkozy); Portrait (Europe) ,
some others are of a deep aesthetical presence No way Out,
Habana-Matanzas, De la serie construyendo ciudades, The
drawing, the writing, the abstraction. Do you look for a balance
when choosing the works that will be part of the show?
Visual arts, as any other artistic language are spaces to exhibit issues
that could be political, social and where a critical commitment with
society can be achieved. I believe in a kind of art that is capable of giv-
ing sense, where the most important thing is the role of the artist and
intellectual as a carrier of this message. Form that social commitment
the most absolute beauty can be expressed and be conceived. I do not
see a divorce between my more forward and politically critical proposals,
with others that try to distinguish aesthetic or linguistic dilemmas and
that try to fnd new behavioural patterns of language. The great revolu-
tions and critical positions in the history of art have occurred because
of the displacements that the artistic language has suffered, from the
impressionist imprint to the discussions of the nature of conceptual
language during the 70s. I would like to be able to challenge the pedestal
of political hypocrisy with an extremely beautiful object. Unfortunately
those destabilizing moments in art are every day more rare, so we have
no other choice but to keep insisting in the creation of senses and the
creation of an irresistibly beautiful space through the use of new devices,
of new searches within the language. A good exhibition requires both
paths. That is why there is an apparent contradiction.
La Joyas de la Corona, es una declaracin muy fuerte sobre edi-
fcaciones de represin encontradas por todo el mundo, incluyendo
Cuba. Cmo fue mostrar este trabajo en Francia, justo despus de
mostrarlo por primera vez en La Habana durante la Decima Bienal?
Pienso que lo mejor que le puede pasar a una obra es hacer recorri-
dos amplios, cambiar de contextos, probarse ante diferentes pblicos y
puntos de vista. En el caso de la exhibicin de Las Joyas de La Coro-
na en Cuba, la obra se articula en su contexto natural deconstruyendo
un contexto cargado de una historia poltica caliente, donde hablar de
represin y tortura es como atacar los cimientos de la estructura polti-
ca del pas y de la Revolucin Cubana.
Se corre el riesgo de no poder sobrevivir al acto de criticar y exponer
la debilidad de estos cimientos. La primera respuesta de los especta-
dores a una obra como esta en Cuba es: Cmo pudiste hacerlo? No
tuviste problemas? Cmo no ests preso! Todas respuestas obvias
en un contexto donde la crtica frontal al sistema, y desde una insti-
tucin estatal, es lo menos comn. Por otra parte, este contexto limita
mucho el grado de accin y la amplitud de sentidos de la obra, pues
la convierte en un problema y en un escndalo local, al punto que se
sospecha de su oportunismo. Mostrar Las joyas de la corona en Ita-
lia y luego en Francia ya implica bsicamente proyectar y multiplicar
sus signifcados, es redimensionar problemas aparentemente locales a
la luz de una mirada ms global.
The Jewels of the Crown is a very strong political statement
dealing with repression buildings found throughout the world, in-
cluding Cuba. How was it to show this work in France, right after
showing it for the frst time in Havana during the 10th Biennial?
I think that the best thing that can happen to a work is to make large
tours, to change contexts, to prove itself before different audiences and
points of view. In the case of the exhibition The Jewels of the Crown
in Cuba, the work is presented in its natural context deconstructing
a context loaded with a politically hot history, where talking about
repression and torture is like attacking the foundations of the political
structure of the country and of Cuban Revolution.
You run the risk of not being able to survive to the act of criticizing and
exhibiting the weakness of the foundations. The frst response of the specta-
tors to a work of art like this one in Cuba is: How did you do it? Didnt it
cause you problems? How come you are not in prison?! all of them being
obvious answers in a context where forward criticism to the system , and
from a state institution, is not common at all. On the other hand, this context
puts a big limitation to the degree of action and to the broadness of senses of
the work, since it transforms it into a problem and a local scandal, to the de-
gree that opportunism is suspected. Showing The Jewels of the Crown in
Italy and then in France already basically implies projecting and multiplying
its meanings, its re-dimensioning the problems which are apparently do-
mestic under a more global view.
"the Crown Jewels" (Base naval de Guantnamo), 2009, 0.5 x 6.5 x 6.5 cm
Las joyas de la corona est pensada a partir de la conviccin de los
impactos posibles en ambas audiencias: las que viven momentos de
polticas contradictorias donde se escamotean los derechos humanos
ms claramente, y aquellas otras que pretenden haber superado estas
contradicciones, como es el caso europeo. La pregunta que restara siempre
es si realmente el control, la tortura y la miseria infigida a los seres humanos
por la maquinaria del estado est realmente superada en las sociedades ms
civilizadas. Muchas de las obras que he creado abren paso a esta pregunta;
sin un afn aleccionador ni moralista quieren abrir el cuerpo a la crudeza de
nuestra preocupacin ms acuciante: la necesidad de humanizar nuestras
sociedades. Desde este mbito esta pieza es efcaz pues denuncia a unos,
escarmienta a otros y pone en duda a unos terceros. No sirve como un acto
de constriccin moral, sino como una prueba de nuestra incivilizacin.
El contexto siempre ha tenido un lugar importante en sus
trabajos. Cul es su intencin/motivacin al trabajar con
obras site-specifc como Luxe, calme et Volupt o tambin,
obras que hacen una clara referencia a la historia/flosofa
Francesa como La plus belle sculpture, Untitled (Le nez
de Sarkozy); M. Haussman, le perfection nexiste pas; Lo-
uis Vuitton voyage avec K. Marx et nous voyageons avec L.
Vuitton y Deleuze and Guattari fxing the Rizhome?
Siempre he pensado que el contexto donde se emplaza una obra
es tan importante como los materiales que utilizas para hacerla, es
The Jewels of the Crown is conceived form the conviction of the pos-
sible impacts in both audiences: the ones who live moments of con-
tradictory politics where human rights are more clearly hidden-, and
those that pretend to have overcome these contradictions, like it hap-
pens in Europe. The question that would always remain is if the control,
torture and misery inficted on the human beings by the machinery of
state have really been overcome by the more civilized societies. Many
of the works that I have created give way to this question; without a
exemplary or moralist desire they want to open the body to the crude-
ness of our most urgent concern: the need to humanize our societies.
From this point of view, this piece is effective since it denounces some,
teaches other a lesson and questions others. It doesnt work as an act of
moral constriction, but as a proof to our uncivilization.
Context has always had prominent space in your works. What
is your intention/motivation when dealing with site-specifc
works such as Luxe, calme et Volupt or moreover, works that
make a clear reference to French history/philosophy such as
La plus belle sculpture, Untitled (Le nez de Sarkozy); M.
Haussman, la perfection nexiste pas; Louis Vuitton vogaye
avec K. Marx et nous voyageons avec L. Vuitton and Deleuze
and Guattari fxing the Rizhome?
I have always though that the context where the work is situated is
just as important as the materials you use to make it, it is almost one
"the Crown Jewels" (KGB), 2009, 2 x 7.5 x 7 cm.
casi un material ms. Confo mucho en este valor aadido en la interpre-
tacin de una obra, y el juego de sentidos que crean piezas que tienen en
cuenta el contexto fsico y los pblicos a los que va dirigida.
Si los intereses de un artista y una obra pueden realmente coincidir
con los intereses del pblico, el grado de complicidad que se alcanza
entre obra y espectador es mucho mayor. Tal vez esta es una prcti-
ca heredada de mi creencia en el signifcado y la misin de una obra
artstica como elemento comunicacional, una creencia en su naturale-
za lingstica. Espero que las obras que mencionas lleguen a tocar la
primera capa de interpretacin que tendr el pblico francs ante esta
exposicin. Simplifcando, pudiera decirse que son vas para facilitar las
lecturas de esta exposicin tocando algunas fbras y haciendo vislum-
brar un juego mucho ms cercano al espectador. Confeso que a ratos
temo al posible facilismo de algunas de estas piezas, a veces pienso
que son trabajos especifcos que responden a mi visin externa de la
realidad concreta y sufro, aunque acepto, el riesgo de caer en cierta tri-
vializacin de este contexto. En ocasiones tambin confo en traspasar
esa superfcie y tocar problemticas mucho ms neurlgicas. En Obras
como La plus belle sculpture... y otras, quiero construir, desde un
momento de la historia bastante reciente del activismo urbano francs,
nuestra relacin y reconocimiento de la historia como Archivo, o como
acto real de emancipacin civil. Es una obra que cita un gesto, revi-
vindolo y escenifcando nuevamente un contexto histrico a travs de
su anquilosamiento como dato, como hecho historiado e inocuo.
more material. I give a lot of trust to this added value in the interpretation
of the work, and the play on the senses that create pieces that take into
consideration the physical context and the audience that it is aimed for.
If the interests of an artist and a work of art can really coincide with the
interests of the audience, the degree of complicity that can be attained
between the work and the spectator is a much more important. Maybe this
is a practice inherited from my belief in the meaning and the mission of a
work of art as a communicational element, a belief in its linguistic nature.
I hope that the works that you mention can get to touch the frst layer of
interpretation that the French audience will have with this exhibition. Sim-
plifying, one could say that they are paths to facilitate the interpretation of
this exhibition touching certain fbres and giving a hint of a game which
is much closer to the spectator. I must confess that sometimes I am afraid
of the possible easiness of some of the pieces, sometimes I think that they
are specifc works that answer to my external vision of that concrete reality
and so I suffer although I accept it- the risk of falling into certain trivial-
ization of this context. On certain occasions I also trust that I will break
through that surface and touch issues which are much more neuralgic.
Works such as La plus belle sculpture and others I want to construct,
from a moment in history that is quite recent the French urban activism,
our relationship and the recognition of history as an Archive or as a real
act of civil emancipation. It is a piece that quotes a gesture, reviving it and
staging it again in a historic context through its stagnation as a piece of
information, as a historical fact and harmless.
Fotografa de Wilfried Petzi y cortesa de Barbara Gross Galerie.
La obra Sin Ttulo (Le nez de Sarkozy), propone simplemente un acto de
irreverencia al poder, un gesto infamable, una reafrmacin de las barrica-
das de Mayo del 68. En general son obras que tratan de reactualizar el con-
tenido de la historia desde la mortandad del archivo histrico y del libro, es
devolverles su status crtico y convulsivo desde la pasividad comercial que
denota el libro o el dato periodstico.
Todas son piezas que intentan retomar la idea de la biblioteca como arte-
facto til, prctico. Es algo en lo que estoy trabajando en este momento.
El ttulo de la muestra, La Mala Semilla/ La mauvaise graine, es
bastante signifcativo. Cmo te defnes como artista, como un
provocador, o como un civil incomodo?
Yo soy un animal civil inconforme que ha encontrado en el arte un
modo de provocar. Tambin soy un provocador inconformista que se
ha tenido que conformar con hacer arte como acto civil. El ser artista y
vivir la libertad del lenguaje del arte me ha llevado a convertirme en un
una persona ms inconformista, amante de la provocacin constante.
La Mala Semilla quisiera ser yo, pero ante la incapacidad de mi espritu
emancipador, le dejo esa labor maldita a mi obra, quiero que ste sea
un gesto capaz de gritar mi inconformidad, que su provocacin conlle-
ve arrasar con todo resquicio de zoquetera moralizante, de pequeez
mental y retrgrada, que mi trabajo sea un canto a la libertad absoluta,
que la anarqua del arte contamine y penetre en todo espacio posible de
la sociedad. Despus de eso, toda semilla ha de forecer como buena.
The work Untitled (Le nez de Sarkozy), simply proposes an act
of irreverence to the power, a fammable gesture, a reaffrmation
of he barricades of May 68. In general, his works try to update the
content of history form the point of view of the historical archive
and books or journalistic information.
They are all pieces that try to take up again the idea of the library
as a useful device, practical. It is something on which I am working
on at this moment.
The title of the show, La Mala semilla/ La mauvaise graine,
is quite significant. How do you define yourself as an artist,
as a provocateur, or as an uncomfortable civilian?
I am an unsatisfed civilian animal who has found in art a way
of provoking. I am also an unsatisfed provocateur who has had to
conform himself with making art as a civil act. Being an artist and
living the freedom of the language of art has taken me to become an
even more unsatisfed person, lover of constant provocation. I would
like to be La mauvaise graine, but because of the incapacity of my
emancipating spirit. I leave that pesky task to my work, I want it to
be a gesture that is capable of shouting out my insatisfaction, that
its provocation implies demolishing every gap that could be moral-
izing, of smallness of mind and reactionary, that my work be a song to
absolute freedom, that the anarchy of art pollutes and infltrates every
possible space of society. After that every seed shall be a good seed.
Fotografa de Wilfried Petzi y cortesa de Barbara Gross Galerie.
Cuadernos# 2, 2011, fotografa y materiales diversos sobre Plexiglas, 100 x 150 cm.
inmortAlizAndo momEntos |
IMMoRtALIzInG MoMEntS
Costumbres, personas, lugares. En esos caminos
se mueve el trabajo del argentino Patricio Reig, un
fotgrafo que a travs del blanco y negro, los sepia
y las intervenciones de diversas imgenes, ha trado
de vuelta un pasado muchas veces desconocido y,
al mismo tiempo, ha matado el tiempo capturando
situaciones irrepetibles.
Traditions, people, places. These are the paths
where the work of the Argentinian Patricio Reig
moves, a photographer that through the use of black
and white, sepia and the intervention of diverse
images, has brought back a past which is often
unknown and, at the same time, has killed time
capturing unrepeatable situations.
Patricio Reig
Por Yuriko takahashi, periodista
Fotografas cortesa de Patricio Reig
Argentina | Argentina
Fotografa | Photograhy
32 . 33
Cuadernos# 14, 2011, fotografa y materiales diversos sobre Plexiglas, 100 x 150 cm..
on retratos de personas que a primera vista se podra pensar que
vivieron en esos aos en que las imgenes slo podan ser en blan-
co y negro, aquel tiempo en que slo el papel mostraba las actividades
cotidianas y costumbres de la sociedad. Son fotografas que perfecta-
mente podran ser parte de uno de los lbumes familiares de nuestros
abuelos, y que cuando las miramos intentamos adivinar los colores de
la ropa y cmo lucan las ciudades.
Nos trasladamos al pasado, a pesar de que la intencin del artista
argentino Patricio Reig (1959) no es necesariamente viajar atrs. El
monocromo es mucho ms neutro, para m posee la elegancia necesa-
ria y hace que las imgenes se integren mejor entre ellas, explica. Sin
embargo, el blanco y negro y los tonos sepia inevitablemente nos llevan
a tiempos remotos y, an ms, generan una cierta nostalgia.
Qu signifcado tiene el paso del tiempo?
Intento averiguarlo mediante mi trabajo como fotgrafo. Es una pre-
gunta muy compleja, como una serpiente de siete cabezas. Sin ser mi
intencin deliberada voy jugueteando con las fotos y con su signifcado
misterioso; en ese trance puedo verle de frente la cara al seor tiempo y
advertir su poder defnitivo sobre nuestra raza y sobre todo el universo.
Quizs la fotografa slo sea eso, un juguete capaz de medir el grado de
ignorancia que nos embarga con respecto a esos misterios universales
para los que nadie tiene respuestas.
s t
hey are portraits of people who, at first sight, one could think
that they lived during those years where images could only be
black and white, those times where paper would show daily activities
and traditions of society. They are photographs that could perfectly
be part of our grandparents family albums and that when we look at
them we try to imagine the colours of the clothes and how the cities
used to look.
We are taken back to the past, in spite of the fact that the intension of
the Argentinian artist Patricio Reig (1959) is not necessarily travelling
back in time. The monochrome is much more neutral, it has the neces-
sary elegance and makes images integrate better between them, he
explains. However, black and white and sepia tones, inevitably take us
back to remote times and, further more, they create a certain nostalgia.
What meaning does the passing of time have for you?
I intend to fnd that out through my work as photographer. It is a very
complex question, like a seven-headed snake. Without having a deliber-
ate intention I play with photos and with their mysterious meaning; in
that trance I can see face to face the look of time and realize his defnite
power over our race and especially over the whole universe. Maybe
photography is just that, a toy that is capable of measuring the degree of
ignorance, which overcomes us regarding those universal mysteries for
which nobody has an answer to.
Cuadernos# 19, 2011, fotografa y materiales diversos sobre Plexiglas, 100 x 150 cm.
You are also interested in the historic aspect of photography, why
is this? Beyond being an object of art, do you only consider photog-
raphy as a way of registration of reality?
I am very interested in photography because its like the cot where a
baby grows; where the signs of the human destiny will be gestated. We
cannot talk about history and about photography dissociating them be-
cause, although they have not always gone hand in hand, today we can,
in part, understand how history has been thanks to the use of images.
The photos themselves can also be considered as objects of art, but that
comes later when it seems that others recognize in them valid aspects
that can be deifed; in essence, they are only evocative objects that are
capable of summarising.
Could you identify the conceptual elements that are common in
your work?
The concept of my work comes from the inner strength that existence
gives me. I start from the exhaustive observation and I try to take dis-
tance from myself to be able to understand if I can- the dimension of the
passing of time and space. The fugacity in which we are evoked comes,
for example, hand in hand of thousands of photographs that circulate the
world. Every time I talk about photographs I refer to physical elements,
tangible. If you notice them you realize what other eras where about, that
other human beings like you or like me felt, laughed, loved and also parted.
The concept of my work refers to the dialect of life, to the instant change of
Tambin te interesa el aspecto histrico de la fotografa a qu
se debe esto? Ms all de ser un objeto de arte, slo concibes la
fotografa como una forma de registro de la realidad?
La historia me interesa mucho porque es como la cuna en la que
crece un beb; all se van a gestar las trazas del destino humano. No
podemos hablar de historia y de fotografa desvinculndolas porque,
si bien no siempre han ido de la mano, hoy podemos en parte enten-
der en parte a travs de la imagen cmo ha sido la historia. Las fotos
en s mismas tambin pueden ser consideradas objetos de arte, pero
eso viene ms tarde cuando parece que los dems reconocen en ellas
aspectos vlidos que se pueden divinizar; en esencia, slo son objetos
evocadores capaces de sintetizar.

Podras establecer los elementos conceptuales comunes de
tu obra?
El concepto de mi trabajo viene dado por la fuerza interior que me da
la existencia. Parto de la observacin exhaustiva y procuro salirme de m
mismo para comprender si puedo la dimensin del paso del tiempo y
del espacio. La fugacidad a la que estamos evocados viene, por ejem-
plo, de la mano de las miles de fotografas que circulan por el mundo.
Siempre que hablo de fotografas me refero a elementos fsicos, tangi-
bles. Si reparas en ellas te das cuenta de que todo tiempo fue, que otros
seres humanos como t o como yo sintieron, rieron, amaron y tambin
se fueron. El concepto de mi trabajo se refere a la dialctica de la vida, al
Cuadernos# 9, 2011, fotografa y materiales diversos sobre Plexiglas, 100 x 150 cm.
scenery and of characters. When I photograph a landscape what I do, without
wanting to, is to kill it, because just a moment later, it changes. Plants change
with the wind, with steps, with rain. People change their expressions, fea-
tures, and gestures with time. Time is afraid of photography, because it is the
only one capable of stopping it.
You say that you prefer to work with analogue technology, even
though you have not left aside the digital one. What is the reason
for a preference over the other?
Working with analogue technology offers the photographer several ad-
vantages: frst, it allows you to have full conscience of what it is to make
a photograph. There are fundamental aspects which digital technology
just forgets. The manufacturers of digital cameras point out to people
the path that they should take and are in great measure responsible for
the tendencies of fashion, of the globalized photographic style and the
waste of bad images. Stupid photos are shot as if money was being spent
without control. You come back from a trip with 3000 images that you
will never see, you have missed the chance to truly feel the experience
of traveling. Analogue technology allows the individual to economize
his shots, to think before acting, to be conscious of his environment, to
stop. We cannot follow technology like obedient sheep under the ruling of
commercial companies. Photography with capital letters can be done
with any camera, even with a tin of cookies. The essential is to un-
derstand the concept and to apply it taking the time necessary for it.
cambio instantneo de escenario y de personajes. Cuando fotografo un
paisaje lo que hago, sin querer, es matarlo, porque un instante despus
cambia. Las plantas cambian con el viento, con las pisadas, con la lluvia.
Las personas cambian sus facciones, expresiones, gestos con el tiempo.
El tiempo le teme a la fotografa porque slo ella es capaz de detenerle.
Dices que preferes trabajar con tecnologa anloga, a pesar de
que no has dejado de lado lo digital A qu se debe esta predilec-
cin por una ms que por la otra?
Trabajar con la tecnologa analgica ofrece a un fotgrafo varias ventajas:
en primer lugar, permite tener plena conciencia de lo que signifca hacer
una fotografa. Hay aspectos fundamentales que la tcnica digital tira por
tierra. Los fabricantes de cmaras digitales sealan a la gente el camino
por el que deben ir y en gran parte son responsables de las tendencias de
moda, del estilo fotogrfco globalizado y del derroche de malas imgenes.
Se disparan estpidas fotos como si se gastara dinero a diestra y siniestra,
sin control. Llegas de viaje con 3.000 imgenes que nunca vers, has per-
dido la oportunidad de sentir verdaderamente la experiencia de haber via-
jado. La fotografa analgica permite al individuo economizar sus disparos,
pensar antes de actuar, tener conciencia de su alrededor, detenerse. No po-
demos seguir a la tecnologa como obedientes ovejas bajo los dictmenes
de las empresas comerciales. La fotografa con maysculas se puede hacer
con cualquier cmara y hasta con una lata de galletas. Lo fundamental es
entender el principio y aplicarlo con el tiempo que haga falta.
Cuaderno # 26, 2012, fotografa y materiales diversos sobre Plexiglas, 100 x 150 cm.
Patricio Reig uses any technique necessary for the series in which
he might be working on. It is for that reason that he has ventured to
develop pinhole photography, a rather simple technique that only re-
quires a roll of flm and a box with a hole to let the light in. Patricio has
even come to build his own cameras. I love the idea of the itinerating
photographer. All those techniques open expressive doors, they teach
you a way to know yourself, to measure your patience and above all, to
be humble and understand that strength and beauty are in what is es-
sential, he comments.
Are all your works based on images captured by you, or have
you used and intervened photographs taken by others?
There are series that require images from anonymous banks, of
uncertain origins, of forgotten boxes. In my studio, I have a sort of
photographic orphanage were I keep and store precious photo-
graphs from my own family and of other unknown families. I have
made great enlargements of tiny photos that I have found on the floor
in little markets of any city; they are for me true heroines, beauty in
its pure state. Their destination could be the bin. Buying photos does
not necessarily mean using them for my work, but as I said before
there are series that need them. I always preserve their essence and
respect their identity. In the rest of my work I am the photographer
and I practice as one.
Patricio Reig pone cualquier tcnica a disposicin de lo que la serie en que
se encuentre trabajando requiera. Es por esa razn que se ha aventurado a
desarrollar la fotografa estenopeica, una tcnica bastante sencilla que slo
requiere de un rollo fotogrfco y una caja con un agujero para que entre
la luz. Patricio incluso ha llegado a construir sus propias cmaras. Me en-
canta la idea del fotgrafo ambulante. Todas esas tcnicas te abren puertas
expresivas, te ensean a conocerte a ti mismo, a medir tu paciencia y
sobre todo a ser humilde y comprender que en lo esencial est la fuerza y la
belleza, comenta.
Todas tus obras son en base a imgenes capturadas por ti,
o has usado e intervenido fotografas tomadas por otros?
Hay series que requieren que las imgenes procedan de bancos
annimos, de orgenes inciertos, de cajones olvidados. Tengo en
mi estudio una especie de "orfanato fotogrfico" en el que guardo
y conservo preciosas fotografas de mi propia familia y de familias
annimas. He hecho grandes ampliaciones de minsculas fotos
encontradas en el suelo en un mercadillo de cualquier ciudad; son
para m verdaderas heronas, belleza en estado puro. Su destino
podra ser un basurero. Comprar fotos no significa necesariamente
utilizarlas para mi trabajo, pero como he dicho antes hay series que
las reclaman. Siempre conservo su esencia y respeto su identidad.
En el resto de mi trabajo soy el fotgrafo y ejerzo como tal.
Cuadernos# 5, 2011, fotografa y materiales diversos sobre Plexiglas, 100 x 150 cm.
What is the intention behind the intervention of some of your
photographs, for example, with texts, like in the series Cuadernos?
To intervene an image is an action that allows you to analyse it,
to feel it and to deepen into it. I do not do things to achieve artistic
results. Science does not necessarily require demonstrating, it also
wants to learn for the sole reason of knowing. Art can also go along
that path. I believe that many of the elements that participate in a
piece, included the image, relate between them and establish forces
and tensions that give them other values.
Patricio Reig has visited several cities of Asia, America or Europe to
capture images of their landscapes and people. Lately the artist has
focused on portraying gardens and parks that are far from the urban
bustle. In fact, that is the subject of his latest work Eden, a series of
pinhole photographs that he started taking in places near to where
he has lived for over 20 years, Barcelona, and that later grew until he
covered all of Spain.
It is precisely the same work he would like to present in Miami.
In fact, Juan Ruiz Gallery from Maracaibo, with whom Patricio is
currently working, will open an office in that city what will be a
good opportunity for the argentinian artist continue to display
his talent.
Qu intencin hay detrs de la intervencin de algunas de tus
fotografas, por ejemplo, con textos, como en la serie Cuadernos?
Intervenir una imagen es una accin que te permite analizarla,
sentirla, profundizarla. No hago las cosas para conseguir resultados
artsticos. La ciencia no necesariamente quiere demostrar, tambin
quiere conocer por el puro hecho de saber. El arte tambin puede ir por
este camino. Creo que muchos de los elementos que participan de una
pieza, incluida la imagen, se relacionan entre s y establecen fuerzas y
tensiones que le conferen otros valores.

Diversas ciudades de Asia, Amrica o Europa han sido visitadas por
Patricio Reig para capturar imgenes de sus paisajes y su gente. lti-
mamente este artista se ha dedicado a retratar jardines y parques lejos
del bullicio urbano. De hecho, esa es la temtica de su ltimo trabajo,
Edn, una serie de fotografas estenopeicas que comenz tomando en
los lugares cercanos a donde reside desde hace ms de 20 aos, Barce-
lona, y que luego se fueron ampliando hasta abarcar casi toda Espaa.
Y es justamente ese mismo trabajo el que le gustara presentar en
Miami. De hecho la galera Juan Ruiz de Maracaibo, con quien Patricio
trabaja actualmente, inaugurar una sede en esa ciudad.
Ser una buena oportunidad para que el artista trasandino siga mos-
trando su talento.
Ivan Daiber
El ArtE como juEgo | ARt AS A GAME
The work of Ivan Daiber emerges from an unprecedented
territory in national sculpture, where irony displaces
solemnity and the use of different supports contributes
to an exuberating aesthetic in meanings and forms. This
is, maybe why, he prefers to call his works devices
instead of sculptures.
La obra de Ivn Daiber emerge desde un territorio indito
en la escultura nacional, donde la irona desplaza a la
solemnidad y el empleo de variados soportes aporta
a una esttica exhuberante en significados y formas.
Es por esto, tal vez, que prefiera llamar a sus obras
artefactos en lugar de esculturas.
Por Antonela Galarce, periodista
Fotografas cortesa del artista
38 . 39 Chile | Chile
Escultura, artefactos de arte | Sculpture, art devices
"ve corta", 2011, tcnica mixta, 46 x 46 cm. "torso tendido", 2012, tcnica mixta, 58 x 58 cm.
e has been compared to the famous Chilean anti-poet Nicanor
Parra, due to the fact that his work constantly shakes the serious
canonical pillars of national sculpture. Using a varied palette of materials
and techniques, Ivan Daiber (1955) has created an original language that
escapes from the traditional concept of sculpture. I use many different
materials as well as the combinations between them, which makes them
stronger between themselves when using certain nomenclature. Says
the artist. I am currently appropriating myself of certain devices that
have a symbolical value more than an aesthetic one and that are associ-
ated to the work, explains Daiber about the waste materials used in his
works, clarifying that it is not about imposing any type of environmen-
tal-political message.
During the 80s, Daiber who also works as an architect- decided to
dedicate himself full-time to sculpture, in spite of not having any formal
knowledge in this area. The author recognizes the powerful infuence
of his Plastic Arts teacher Urban Blank, at the Swiss School, where he
studied and also the one of his father, a doctor and painter. Also, he took
occasional painting workshops at the Escuela de Bellas Artes of the Uni-
versidad de Chile.
e le ha comparado con el famoso anti poeta chileno Nicanor
Parra, debido a que su obra remueve constantemente los serios
pilares cannicos de la escultura nacional. Utilizando una variopinta
paleta de materiales y tcnicas, Ivn Daiber (1955) ha creado un len-
guaje original que escapa a la concepcin tradicional de la escultura.
Son muchos los materiales que empleo as como la combinatoria de
ellos, lo que hace que se potencien entre s con ciertas nomenclatu-
ras, seala el artista. Sobre los materiales de deshecho presentes en
su obra, aclarando que no se trata de imponer ningn tipo de men-
saje poltico-medioambiental. Actualmente me apropio de ciertos
aparatos que tienen un valor simblico ms que esttico y que estn
asociados a la obra.
En la dcada de los 80, Daiber quien ejerce paralelamente la
arquitectura- decide abordar de lleno la escultura, pese a no tener
conocimientos formales en ese mbito. El autor reconoce la poderosa
infuencia del profesor de Artes Plsticas Urban Blank, en el Colegio
Suizo, donde realiz sus estudios escolares y la de su padre, mdico y
pintor. Asimismo, realiz talleres ocasionales de pintura en la Escuela
de Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Chile.
s h
"torso, I con cuchara", 2011/12, tcnica mixta, 52 x 52 cm.
"Carta", 2011, tcnica mixta, 46 x 46 cm.
"Caja musical con ombligo", tcnica mixta, 46 x 46 cm. "torso, II con pez", 2011/12, tcnica mixta, 52 x 52 cm.
Es indudable que las diversas profesiones crean ciertos hbitos y
conductas de trabajo que infuencian las actividades que ejercemos.
En este caso, me parece que esta contaminacin es efectiva en el
desarrollo de un trabajo constructivista con el empleo de diversos
materiales y tcnicas. Adems, creo que toda actividad interdicipli-
naria es benefciosa para el resultado de una propuesta aunque sta
sea realizada por el mismo individuo, seala el artista, en referencia
a cmo ha infuido su formacin en arquitectura en la construccin de
sus series de "artefactos".
A partir de Zoo (1990), el artista viene creando universos poblados
de pequeos animales, peces, torsos de mujeres, sirenas, entre otros
seres fantsticos, valindose de metales como el bronce y materiales
como la fbra de vidrio y la madera. Nac en una cuna de palo y la
mayora de mis trabajos arquitectnicos son en madera, emplazados
principalmente en zonas de donde proviene esa madera.
Esto puede explicar que ste sea un soporte importante pero no impli-
ca que me deje encantar por sus vetas, advierte.
A lo largo de su trayectoria, el escultor se consagra en un lenguaje
esttico constituido en gran medida por el humor y la irona.
Sus hbridas esculturas atrapan al espectador en un divertido juego
que se transforma en una impensada trampa, ya que le conducen
Without a doubt, the different professions create certain work
conducts and habits that infuence the activities we do. In this case,
it seems to me that this contamination is effective in the develop-
ment of a constructivist work with the use of different materials and
techniques. Also, I believe that every interdisciplinary activity is
beneficial for the result of a proposal even though this is realized by
the same individual, the artist points out in reference to how his
architectural formation has influenced in the construction of his series
of devices.
Based on Zoo (1990), the artist starts creating universes inhabited
by little animals, fish, womens torsos, sirens and other fantasy be-
ings, using metals like bronze and materials such as glass fibre and
wood. I was born on a wooden cradle and most of my architectural
works are made of wood, placed mainly in areas where that particular
wood comes from.
That could explain why this is an important support but it does not
imply that I let its grain charm me. He informs.
Throughout his trajectory, the sculptor consecrates himself into an aes-
thetic language that is mainly represented by humour and irony.
His hybrid sculptures catch the spectator in a fun game that is trans-
formed into an unthought-of trap, since they drive him to question
"Palo negro", tcnica mixta, 46 x 46 cm. "nube de palo", tcnica mixta, 46 x 46 cm.
a cuestionar la naturaleza misma de las cosas, la fragilidad y frivolidad
tanto del hombre como de su mundo. Esa provocacin es inherente a
su obra y no se trata de un ensamblaje forzosos; en general la escultura
suele tener un aire de solemnidad, especialmente en el caso chileno, y es
algo que no opera en el resto de las artes visuales. Por eso a mis trabajos
prefero denominarlos como aparatos, artefactos o cuestiones antes
que esculturas. Y es verdad, son ms desenfadados y probablemente ms
irreverentes aunque no sea su propsito. Lo que busco es la autoimpre-
sin y jugar cuando trabajo.
En su ms reciente coleccin Sartn por el mango (2012), insina
torsos femeninos realizando un ensamblaje de lneas y objetos, ape-
lando a un erotismo pocas veces presenciado en la escultura local.
Existe en esta obra una refexin sobre el volumen y una cuidada
artesana tras la mscara del absurdo y la provocacin de sus Venus
contemporneas.
Existe una coherencia en su lenguaje artstico al posicionse como una
mezcla vanguardista de lo ldico, lo simblico y lo fantstico.Utilizo
mis sentidos, mi inteligencia, mis vivencias y recuerdos entre otras
cosas. Todo esto puesto en una batidora a ciertas revoluciones hace
que el caldo tenga una densidad y un espesor apropiados para traba-
jar, seala Daiber.
the nature of things itself, fragility and frivolity of men as well as of
the world.That provocation is inherent to his work and is not a forced
joining. In general sculpture has an air of solemnity, especially in the
case of Chilean ones and it is something that does not happen in the
rest of visual arts. That is why I prefer to call my works equipment,
devices or things rather than sculptures. And it is true that they are
more easy going and probably more irreverent even if that is not their
purpose. What I look for is self-impression and to play when I work,
Daiber admits.
In his most recent collection, Sarten por el mango (2012), he insinu-
ates female torsos by realizing an assembly of lines and objects, ap-
pealing to an eroticism that is rarely witnessed in local sculpture. In
this work there is a reflexion about volume and a careful craft behind
the mask of the absurd and the provocation of his contemporary
Venuses.
There is coherence in his artistic language when he positions himself
as a vanguard mixture of what is ludicrous, what is symbolic and what
is fantasy.I use all my senses, my intelligence, my life experiences and
memories amongst other things. All of this placed in a mixer at certain
speed results in the broth having the appropriate density and thick-
ness for working, Daiber points out.
CRISTINA FRESCA
c r i s t i n a f r e s c a . c o m . a r
Seri e: Mi rar de nuevo. . .
1/ 3 +P/ A
2012
Gal er a: areteXar te
s t and: H 71
CRISTINA FRESCA
c r i s t i n a f r e s c a . c o m . a r
Seri e: Mi rar de nuevo. . .
1/ 3 +P/ A
2012
Gal er a: areteXar te
s t and: H 71
Jos Rosenblatt
crEAdor dE univErsos | CREAtoR oF unIvERSES
Dice la comunidad cientfica que el Universo se form a causa
de un enorme estallido conocido como el Big Bang. Si bien
esta explosin, en su gnesis, caus cierto caos, tambin se
fue creando un determinado orden dentro de esa vorgine
germinada por tan misteriosa descarga de energa.
Jos Rosenblatt plasma sobre lienzos de gran tamao crculos
y esferas que aparentemente giran a diferentes velocidades.
Tales obras trasladan al espectador a los espacios recnditos
concebidos por el universo imaginario del artista.
The scientific community tells us that the Universe was
formed due to an enormous explosion called the Big Bang.
Although this explosion, in its genesis caused certain chaos,
there was also a determined order that started to result within
this vortex germinated by such mysterious discharge of
energy. Having said that, Jos Rosenblatt puts on great format
canvases, circles and spheres that seem to turn at different
speeds. These works transport the spectator to the remote
spaces conceived by the imaginary universe of the artist.
Por Anna stor-Blanco . mster en artes (Puerto Rico)
Fotografas cortesa de Jos Rosenblatt
Argentina | Argentina
Pintura | Painting
44 . 45
"Sin ttulo", 2001, leo sobre tela, 200 x 200 cm.
"Sin ttulo", 2010, leo sobre tela, 170 x 370 cm.
n his work, big discs spring out from neutral backgrounds, some of
them from a fxed point, whilst others come from inside the painting,
thus creating long chains trapped inside the quadrangular shape of the
canvas. Jos Rosenblatt (Argentina) represents them by painting with oils,
and shows his thoroughness with a precision of detail, something which
forces the spectator to question himself if this image was produced by a
computer program or by hand. However, the pigments only create an opti-
cal illusion, giving clarity to the objects, which seem to be illuminated from
a frontal spot of unknown incandescence. Its brightness is so real, that the
spectator is surprised not to fnd his own refection on this surface that
tries to emulate metal.
Maybe this colourful or monochrome dimension, which is full of whirl-
winds, has its own hidden meaning of the Universe. Some art critics allow
this interpretation to be open, with the purpose of having access to the
fow of diverse ideas of what is represented. In any case, the paintings
seem to accommodate the forms, whetting the imaginative appetite of
the human being, since the symbol of the spiral is consistently manifested
throughout countless cultures suggesting the infnite universe. The same
way, we see how the spiral is present in nature itself, in the way that shells
develop or that galactic and hurricane movements are produced.
The geometric elements created by Rosenblatt not only go beyond
a simple concrete representation, but also his intention entails cap-
turing the movement as such. His compositions seem to represent
objects moving at different speeds, possibly caused by a detonation,
which seems to move them to a pictorial level. These elements follow a
specifc trajectory, that is, towards the spectator. One could argue that
the origin of his images is similar to the one of the Argentinian artis-
tic movement MAD, since Joss canvases are made following some
aesthetic characteristics which are own to this style. The MAD, born
in 1946, is based on a statement where its author, Gyula Kosice, of Hun-
garian origin, decrees rigorous concepts for the celebration of any type
of creative expression, including theatre and dance, amongst other
disciplines that correspond to human creativity (hints of Pina Bausch?).
MAD painting, just as the written statement proposes by enumerating
conceptual ideas, suggests applying colour bi-dimensionally. Frames
that are cut out and irregular, fat surfaces and curve or concave
surfaces. Articulated fat surfaces with translation and rotating lineal
movements (MAD Statement in MAD 0 magazine. (1947): n.pag.
Centro virtual de arte argentino . Web. April 4th 2012)
Joss pictorial support exists both in quadrangular or circular format,
both traditional, and this is where we fnd the elements associated to
the Grupo Generativo and to Arte Concreto-Inversion, movements that
are born from MAD. The frst one comes from last centurys decades of
the 60s and 70s and was led by Eduardo Mac Entyre and Miguel Angel
Vidal, who showed a liking for intricate patterns of the type which can
be produced mechanically by using an oscillating pendulum.
Arte Concreto-Invencion, just like the other two styles mentioned, had a set
of rules and regulations. Although the Grupo Generativo had the predilec-
n su obra, grandes discos emanan de fondos neutrales, algunos
desde un punto fjo, mientras que otros se deslizan del interior del
cuadro pictrico, creando as largas cadenas atrapadas dentro de la forma
cuadrangular del lienzo. Jos Rosenblatt los representa utilizando pintura
al leo. Con una precisin del detalle demuestra su gran meticulosidad,
que obliga al espectador a cuestionarse si la imagen fue producida por un
programa computarizado. Sin embargo, los pigmentos slo crean una ilu-
sin ptica, otorgndole diafanidad a los objetos, los cuales parecen estar
iluminados desde un punto frontal de desconocida incandescencia. Tan
real es su fulgor que el espectador se extraa al no verse duplicado sobre
esta superfcie que intenta emular al metal.
Quizs esta dimensin colorida o monocroma, llena de gigantescos torbelli-
nos, posea un signifcado oculto propio del universo. Algunos crticos de arte
permiten que su interpretacin sea abierta, con el fn de acceder al fujo de
diversas ideas ante aquello representado. En todo caso, los cuadros parecen
albergar las formas, abriendo el apetito imaginativo del ser humano, ya que
el smbolo de la espiral se manifesta de manera consistente a travs de innu-
merables culturas sugiriendo el universo infnito. De igual modo vemos como
la espiral se manifesta en la propia naturaleza, en la manera en que se desa-
rrollan los caracoles o se producen movimientos huracanados o galcticos.
Los elementos geomtricos engendrados por Rosenblatt no slo van mucho
ms all de una simple representacin concreta, sino que su intencin
tambin conlleva la captacin del movimiento como tal. Sus composiciones
parecen representar objetos movindose a diferentes velocidades, posible-
mente provocadas por una detonacin, que parece desplazarlas al plano
pictrico. Tales elementos siguen una trayectoria particular, es decir, en
direccin del espectador. Se podra argumentar que la procedencia de sus
imgenes es semejante al movimiento artstico argentino MAD, ya que los
lienzos de Jos estn confeccionados siguiendo algunos rasgos estticos
propios de ese estilo. El MAD, surgido en 1946, se basa en un manifesto
donde su autor, Gyula Kosice, de origen hngaro, decreta conceptos riguro-
sos para la elaboracin de cualquier tipo de expresin creativa, incluyendo
el teatro y la danza, entre otras disciplinas correspondientes a la creatividad
humana (atisbos de Pina Bausch?). La pintura MAD, tal como propone el
manifesto escrito a la manera de una enumeracin de ideas conceptuales,
sugiere aplicar el color en forma bidimensional. Marcos recortados e irregu-
lares, superfcies planas y superfcies curvas o cncavas. Planos articulados,
con movimiento lineal rotativo y de traslacin ("Manifesto MAD" en revista
MAD 0, 1947. Centro virtual de arte argentino).

El soporte pictrico de Jos existe lo mismo en formato cuadricular que en
circular, ambos tradicionales, y es aqu donde se encuentran los elementos
asociados al Grupo Generativo y al Arte Concreto-Inversin, movimientos
que surgen a partir MAD. El primero proviene de las dcadas de los 60 y
70 del siglo pasado, y estaba encabezado por Eduardo Mac Entyre y Miguel
Angel Vidal, quienes mostraban inters por patrones curvilneos que podan
ser producidos mecnicamente, mediante el uso de un pndulo oscilante.
Arte Concreto-Invencin, al igual que los otros dos estilos mencionados,
posea tambin un cdigo de normas. Si bien el Grupo Generativo tena la
e i
Lucie-Smith, Edward. Latin American Art of the 20th century. London: Thames & Hudson, 1993. 124. Print
"Sin ttulo", 2009, leo sobre tela, 200 x 200 cm.
predileccin de encarnar fguras y smbolos artifciales, el Arte Concre-
to-Invencin conservaba la intencin de engendrar piezas que rompieran
con todo lo reconocible. Tal como seala inicialmente su propio manifes-
to, tambin redactado en Buenos Aires durante el agosto de 1946: La
era artstica de la fccin representativa toca su fn. El hombre se torna de
ms en ms insensible a las imgenes ilusorias. Desde este enfoque,
dicha afrmacin hace alusin a los temas tradicionales representados en
las artes, y cabra decir que tales imgenes ilusorias, como indica el do-
cumento, apuntan al uso de sujetos o temas que conllevan connotaciones
religiosas, polticas y sociales. A lo largo de la historia del arte se encuen-
tra que ste ha sido destinado a inmortalizar o idealizar aquello retratado,
como en el caso de reyes, fguras religiosas o polticos.
As, sin lugar a dudas, al tratarse de un objeto carente de representacin
alguna, la audiencia se ve obligada a examinar y refexionar de forma
distinta, ya que la misma no acta como mtodo de propaganda en torno
a la fgura sino como una iniciativa con el propsito de instaurar pen-
samientos propios engendrados por el pblico que se encuentra ante la
obra de arte en s. MAD, Grupo Generativo y Arte Concreto-Invencin
sostienen objetivos similares en cuanto la creacin de su obra utpica
carente de clases sociales y representaciones falsas.
A primera vista, el lienzo no parece estar cargado de mensajes polticos.
Sin embargo, el empleo de semejante geometra abstracta, como suelen
denominar este tipo de obra los historiadores y estudiosos del arte, exhibe
un concepto abstracto donde la idea prevalece por encima de una imagen
reconocible. John Nadador, crtico de arte, en su escrito La vieja teora del
arte, menciona que los problemas econmicos, polticos y otros provocan
indefectiblemente la creacin de un arte abstracto y conceptual. Asimismo,
se poda tomar en cuenta el uso de las explosiones en la obra de Rosenblatt
que pueden llegar a contener percepciones contradictorias, dependiendo
del punto de vista del observador. Dado esto, las formas expulsadas hacia el
espectador podran aludir a una posible amenaza, mientras que para otros
la presencia de discos en su obra las lleva a un mundo fantstico, donde el
tamao del soporte juega un papel importante, ya que el mismo envuelve a
la persona presente al punto que llega convertirse en parte de la obra.

En cuanto a la obra de Rosenblatt el artista conduce al pblico hacia
una dimensin ms all de la compresin terrenal de lo humano, obli-
gndolo a encontrarse ante lo que podra considerarse el comienzo de
una creacin muy compleja originada por una mano mecnica, e incluso
evocndole un sentimiento de inferioridad que suele acogernos en mu-
chas ocasiones. Quizs el artista intenta evocar este pensamiento crtico
al que se aferra el hombre, ya que tenemos la tendencia a hacer alusin
a nuestra condicin mortal, repitiendo la frase slo soy humano como
excusa para remediar muchos de nuestros errores cometidos.
Jos Rosenblatt, artista representado por la Galera Jacob Karpio de Cos-
ta Rica, celebra en sus obras forma, color y movimiento, elementos que
se pueden hallar en los estilos antes citados, respaldando la tradicin del
arte moderno ligada al cono sur americano. Sin lugar a dudas Rosen-
blatt demuestra la capacidad que posee el ser humano como artista y
pensador conceptual, obligando al pblico a cuestionar y contemplar el
signifcado de su propia existencia en el universo.
VVAA, . "Manifesto Invencionista." Agosto de1946. http://ludion.com.ar/home.php.
tion to embody artifcial fgures and symbols, Arte Concreto-Invencion
preserved the intention to embody pieces that would brake from everything
that is recognizable. Just as its own statement points out, also drawn up in
Buenos Aires, during August 1946: The artistic era of representative fc-
tion comes to its end. Man is each day less sensitive to illusory images.
From this point of view, this affrmation makes reference to traditional
subjects represented in arts, and one could say that those illusory imag-
es, as the document indicates, aim at the use of subject or themes that
carry religious, political and social connotations. Throughout the history
of art we can fnd that art has been destined to immortalize or idealize
that which is portrayed, like the case of kings, religious fgures
or politicians.
Thus, without a doubt, when it comes to an object that does not have any
form of representation, the audience is forced to examine and refect in a
different way, since this same object, does not act as a promotional method
of the fgure, but as an initiative with the purpose of establishing its own
thoughts generated by the audience that is in front of the work of art itself.
MAD, Grupo Generativo and Arte Concreto-Invencion hold similar objec-
tives regarding the creation of their utopian piece without social classes and
false representations.
At frst sight, the canvas doesnt seem to be loaded with political mes-
sages. However, the use of such abstract geometry, as historians and
art specialists usually call this type of art, exhibits an abstract concept
where the idea prevails over the recognizable image. The art critic, John
Nadador, in his essay the old theory of art, mentions that economical,
political and other kinds of problems invariably provoke the creation
of abstract and conceptual art. Also, we could consider that the use of
explosions in the work of Rosenblatt, could have contradictory percep-
tions, depending of the observers point of view. In view of that, the forms
expelled towards the spectator could refer to a possible threat, whilst for
others, the presence of discs in his work takes them to a world of fantasy,
where the size of the support plays an important role, since it envelopes
the person there present to the point where he or she becomes part of
the work.
Regarding the work of Rosenblatt, the artist takes the audience to a
dimension beyond earthly understanding of what is human, forcing
him to face what could be considered the beginning of a very complex
creation by a mechanical hand, and even evoking in him a feeling of
inferiority which happens to us on many occasions. Maybe the artist is
trying to evoke this critical feeling to which man holds on to, since we
have the tendency to make allusion of our mortal condition, repeating
the phrase I am just human as an excuse to repair many of
our mistakes.
Jos Rosenblatt, represented by the Jacob Karpio Gallery of Costa Rica,
celebrates in his works form, colour and movement, elements that can be
found in the styles mentioned above, supporting the tradition of modern
art linked to the Southern Cone. Without a doubt, Rossenblatt shows the
capacity that the human being has as an artist and as a conceptual thinker,
forcing the audience to question and contemplate the meaning of his own
existance in the Universe.
VVAA, . "Manifiesto Invencionista." Agosto de1946. http://ludion.com.ar/home.php.
"Sin ttulo", 2009, leo sobre tela, 200 x 200 cm.
01. Felix Gonzalez-Torres

02. Gabriel Orozco

03. Vik Muniz
04. Ana Mendieta

05. Alfredo Jaar

06. Ernesto Neto
07. Allora & Calzadilla
08. Cildo Meireles
09. Rivane Neuenschwander
10. Carlos Garaicoa
Artfacts Data Series _ #35_ Data generated: 21.01.2012
Highest-ranked
Latin American
artists:
The Artfacts.Net Artist Ranking is the leading research tool used by art professionals to track artist
careers and analyse trends in the art market. This ranking considers exhibitions since 1996 of artists born
after 1945 and reects the artists value from the curators perspective; auction prices are not considered.
www.artfacts.net
www. el eomarpuent e. com
KITTY,KITTY(cazador cazado) | 50 x 70 pulgadas | A/C 2011
Artista cubano, encuntralo tambin en www.arteallimite.com/eleomarpuente
E L E OMAR P UE NTE
www. el eomarpuent e. com
KITTY,KITTY(cazador cazado) | 50 x 70 pulgadas | A/C 2011
Artista cubano, encuntralo tambin en www.arteallimite.com/eleomarpuente
E L E OMAR P UE NTE
Elogio dE lo bEllo, EsA pArtE inAdmisiblE
dE lo tErriblE | PRAISE oF thE BEAutIFuL, thAt
InADMISSIBLE PARt oF thE tERRIBLE.
La potica de una artista artfice de la belleza como
maleficio.
The poetics of an artist creator of the beauty as a
spell.
Mercedes Baliarda
Por Laeticia Mello, curadora (Argentina)
Fotografas cortesa de Mercedes Baliarda.
i uno tuviera que imaginar a Mercedes Baliarda (Argentina, 1983), pro-
bablemente sera en forma de una damita que lleva toda suerte de libros
donde esconde fores y ttulos literarios que le agregarn entendimiento a sus
creaciones. Algo as como una personalidad oriunda de algn sitio remoto
o perteneciente a otra esfera. Aquellas fguras romnticas que an despus
de pasado tiempo siguen enamoradas de poetas malditos perdidos en algn
averno celestial.
Sus infuencias no estn dadas por el mundo de la plstica, sino de la litera-
tura y el cine, y su cuerpo de obra comprende collages con fores, fotografas
y dibujos sobre papel. Escindida entre los mundos de E. Burke, Freud, R.M.
Rilke, Nietzcshe y la botnica, Baliarda origina micro-mundos que se erigen
como un arte potica. Luego, al trasladarse a Londres para desarrollar sus
estudios, comenz a investigar en el campo flosfco que le permitira unir las
cualidades que daran fruto al nudo de su artifcio: la dicotoma bello-sublime.
s i
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 25)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 28)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
f someone had to imagine Mercedes Baliarda (Argentina, 1983), it
would probably be in the shape of a small lady that carries all sort of
books where she hides fowers and literary titles that bring understand-
ing to her creations. Similar to a personality from some far away place
or different sphere. One of those romantic fgures that, even after time
passed by, are still in love with damned poets lost in some heavenly
underworld.
Her infuences are given by literature and cinematography, her body of
work comprises collages with fowers, photographs and drawings on
paper, pieces that she started developing while studying in London. Di-
vided among the worlds of E. Burke, Freud, R.M. Rilke, Nietzsche and the
botany. Baliarda gives rise to micro-worlds that build up as philosophical
poetics that allow her unite the qualities that will originate the knot of
her artifce: the dichotomy between the beautiful and the sublime.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 24)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 29)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Reductio ad Absurdum (2008-2009) es la primera obra que desarro-
lla antes de comenzar su MA en Fine Arts. Es un libro de artista que
comprende once polaroids superpuestas con fotografas impresas en
papel de calcar que exploran los conceptos de Burke descritos en su
obra "Una investigacin flosfca sobre el origen de nuestras ideas
de lo sublime y lo bello (1756). A partir de la categorizacin desarro-
llada por el flsofo irlands donde lo sublime y lo bello son catego-
ras que se excluyen mutuamente, del mismo modo en que lo hacen
la luz y la oscuridad, Baliarda reinterpreta los conceptos creando la
ecuacin cielo tempestuoso = sublime, fores = belleza, consiguien-
do desafar dicha exclusin convirtiendo la armona y delicadeza
floral en una perspectiva sublime y salvaje a la vez.
Cualquier cosa que sea encajada de cualquier manera para provo-
car ideas de dolor, y peligro, [], u opera de forma anloga al terror,
es una fuente de lo sublime; es decir, es productora de la emocin
ms fuerte que la mente es capaz de sentir, dice E. Burke. Si segn
el autor lo sublime ocurre cuando la imaginacin se ve arrastrada a
un estado de horror, hacia lo desconocido, la inmensidad, el infinito,
la soledad o el silencio un temor controlado que atrae las almas,
Mercedes consigue plasmarlo a travs de los cielos capturados en
sus fotografas, produciendo el mismo placer esttico. Esto es posi-
ble ya que en trminos del filsofo la consciencia percibe que lo que
observa es una ficcin, lo sublime es un asombro sin peligro.
Reductio ad Absurdum (2008-2009), latin for reduction to the absurd, is
the first work that she produces before beginning her MA in Fine Arts
at Chelsea College of Art & Design. It is an artist book that includes
eleven polaroids layered with photographs printed on tracing paper
that explore Burkes concepts described in his book "A Philosophical
Enquiry into the Sublime and the Beautiful" (1756). Baliarda creates
a contemporary interpretation of the concepts and categories defined
by the author: the sublime and the beautiful are mutually exclusive in
the same way light and darkness do. Mercedes works on an equation,
moody sky = sublime, flowers = beautiful, achieving to defeat Burkes
exclusion by turning harmonic and delicate floral environments into a
wild and sublime perspective as well.
Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite ideas of pain, and danger, [],
or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime;
that is, it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is
capable of feeling. (Burke, 1958). If according to the author sublime
occurs when imagination is pulled into a state of horror of the un-
known, immensity, the infinite, loneliness or silence - a controlled fears
that attract the soul-, Mercedes achieves to give expression through
the skies captured in her photographs, producing the same aesthetic
pleasure. This is possible because according to Burke, the conscious-
ness perceives that everything that observes is a fiction. The sublime
is an astonishment without danger.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 34)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 33)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
En contraposicin a este concepto, lo bello, representado entonces
por la luz, pequeos objetos, la suavidad y variacin gradual, delicadeza
y especifcidad, en la obra de Mercedes Baliarda es representado por la
for. De este modo, utilizando las categorizaciones taxativas promovidas
por Burke, Baliarda unifca ambos criterios mediante la superposicin de
fotografas del cielo impresas en papel de calcar sobre Polaroids de fores y
luego volviendo a fotografar la nueva composicin. Reductio ad absur-
dum es un ejercicio conceptual y creativo, un juego; una reinterpretacin
contempornea de un texto antiguo. Son imgenes creadas desde la teora,
a partir del texto, o huyendo de l; una obra que cuestiona al autor y a su
mtodo copindolo. Esta serie parte de un inters conceptual especfco
que tal vez sea slo una excusa porque, al fn y al cabo, terminan siendo
once experimentos visuales que estn, o quisiera yo que estn, ms all de
las palabras, comenta la artista.
Durante los prximos aos produjo las obras To perish in the embrace of a
stronger existence (2009), un dptico que comprende una pequea for sil-
vestre aplastada en una diapositiva de 35 mm. y la misma for reproducida
exactamente en grafto sobre un papel de calcar de aproximadamente tres
metros de alto, They are better left unspoken (2009) es un libro de artista
que reproduce dibujos de fores y The springtime were in need of you
(2009), entre otras obras. Pero Through both realms for ever (2009-2011)
es quizs la serie que mejor contiene la esencia del trabajo de Mercedes.
Est conformada por 45 dibujos en grafto de calaveras construidas a partir
de fores silvestres, de un formato que se ajusta a una diapositiva de 35
mm, permitindole a la artista observarlas mediante un visor de diapositi-
vas para as poder dibujar sus nervaduras a modo de rayos X.
In opposition to this concept, the beautiful is represented by light,
small objects, smoothness, gradual variation, delicacy and specious-
ness. In Baliardas work beauty is represented through by the flower.
In this way, using the restrictive categorizations promoted by the
philosopher, the artist unifies both criterions by layering polaroids
of flowers with photographs of the sky printed on tracing paper. and
then taking a photograph of the new composition. "Reductio ad absur-
dum is a conceptual and creative exercise, a game; a contemporary
interpretation of an old text; they are images created from the theory,
from the text, or running away from it; a work that questions the au-
thor and his method by copying it. This series began with a specific
interest in a philosophical problem, which led to these visual experi-
ments that in the end, exist beyond their conceptual beginning". The
artist says.
During the next years she produced the works "To perish in the em-
brace of a stronger existence" (2009) a diptych that comprises a small
wild flower pressed into a 35mm slide and the same flower reproduced
as a drawing on tracing paper of approximately three meters high,
They are better left unspoken (2009), an artist book that reproduces
flower drawings and The springtime were in need of you (2009)
among other works. Through both realms for ever (2009-2011) is
probably the series that best defines the essence of her work.
It is comprised by forty five graphite drawings of skulls, all build up
from small wild a slide that fit 35mm slides, allowing the artist to
observe them from a slide viewer in order to draw the nerves as
X-Rays.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 35)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 30)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Las piezas estn inspiradas en una frase del poeta austraco Rainer Maria
Rilke contenida en su obra Elegas de Duino, escritas en 1912 y publica-
das en 1923. El motivo principal de las elegas es el hombre y su simbolis-
mo. La belleza no es nada sino el inicio de un terror que apenas podemos
soportar y nos sobrecogemos porque serenamente desdea alienarnos,
dice un fragmento de dicha obra. La artista elige un signifcante, las fores,
y rastrea su costado ms sublime, la dualidad de la muerte, lo oscuro, la
vanitas. Recoger fores y aplastarlas en libros es de algn modo generar
una muerte, una pequea tragedia. Las calaveras representan el memento
mori, frase latina que signifca recuerda que morirs. En la Roma antigua
cuando un general desflaba victorioso por las calles, un siervo, smbolo de
los dioses omnipotentes, caminaba detrs de su fgura para recordarle las
limitaciones de la naturaleza humana, y la fugacidad de la vida. "Tomo esta
frase de Rilke como la inspiracin mxima de toda mi obra. Ah est en-
capsulada la esencia de lo que mi arte quiere ser y su misterio me mueve
de una serie a otra. Una sensacin que uno encuentra familiar, una sen-
sacin fantasmagrica. La naturaleza se impone como un fuerte inters.
Su indiferencia, su propio sistema complejo. Rilke escribi en una de sus
cartas: 'No sabe nada de nosotros'. Lo mundano, lo espiritual, lo de todos
los das y lo eterno. Inmediatamente vinieron a m ideas de lo sublime y
lo bello, replica la artista. La serie A travs de ambos reinos para siempre
son retratos detallados de calaveras sobre papel de calcar, que generan
un sentimiento de dolor y una belleza trgica. Nacen de la tensin entre lo
apolneo y dionisaco, concepto inspirado en El nacimiento de la tragedia
en el espritu de la msica (1872) del flsofo alemn Friedrich Nietzsche.
Estos dibujos realizados con una fragilidad y sutileza metafrica, represen-
tan la afrmacin recproca de la vida y el eterno retorno.
The pieces are inspired by a phrase from the Austrian poet Rainer
Maria Rilke, comprised in the literary oeuvre Duino Elegies, written
on the year 1912 and published on 1923. The theme of the Elegies is
mankind and its symbolism. "For beauty is nothing but the beginning
of terror which we are barely able to endure and are awed because it
serenely disdains to annihilate us".
This appoints the fragment from the piece that the artist chooses to
represent her body of work.The artist selects a signifier, flowers. She
tracks the most sublime side of them, the duality of death, the dark,
vanitas. Picking up flowers and pressing them among books is, in
some way, to give birth to a death, a small tragedy. The skulls repre-
sent the memento mori, Latin phrase that refers remember you shall
die. In ancient Rome, when a General walked victorious through
the streets, a deer, symbol of the omnipotent Gods, would follow his
figure in order to remind him of his human nature and the fugacity of
life. I choose this phrase by Rilke as the maximum inspiration of all
my work. There lays encapsulated the essence of what my art wants
to be and its mystery leads me from one series to another. A familiar
sensation, a phantasmagoric sensation. replies Mercedes.The series
Through both realms for ever are detailed portraits of skulls drawn on
tracing paper. They generate a feeling of pain and tragic beauty at the
same time.
They are conceived from the tension between the Apollonian and
Dionisyan, concepts inspired on The Birth of tragedy in the spirit of
the music (1872) by Friedrich Nietzsche.These drawings are done
with a fragility and metaphorical subtlety in communion with lyricism
stating the reciprocity between life and the eternal return.
Mercedes Baliarda es representada en Londres por Maddox Arts y The
Contemporary London. En Latinoamrica trabaja con la Galera Fiebre, en
Buenos Aires, donde realiz su solo show Lo que revela de vos mismo, du-
rante el 2011. Sus obras se encuentran en colecciones britnicas como Tate
Collection, Selfridges Collection, Modern British Collections at the British
Library y University Art Collection, entre otras.
Durante abril exhibi en el show Per Annum: 12, The Contemporary London,
su ltimo dptico Gotas de sudor se arrastraban por su espalda, una por una,
como insectos lentos. Son dos dibujos que incluyen una for aplastada dibu-
jada sobre papel milimetrado en complemento, unsono y contraposicin con
una reinterpretacin de una calavera formada por mujeres desnudas de Dal,
tambin trabajada con tcnica de grafto sobre papel. Ha realizado diver-
sas muestras colectivas, entre las que se destacan The End, Jacobs Island
Gallery, (Londres 2012), A History Revisited, Joze Art Fair, The Library Space
(London 2012), Lo que revela de vos mismo, Fiebre (Buenos Aires 2011), Pre-
mio Fundacin Williams de Arte Joven 2010, DISSIPATIO H.G., Chiostro di
Voltorre (Varese, Italia 2011), Anticipation, Selfridges Oxford Street (Londres
2010), Naturaleza Expandida, Centro Cultural Recoleta (Buenos Aires 2010),
I See Alone Sometimes, Maddox Arts, (London 2010), C4RD Moot: four-
dayslong, Center for Recent Drawing (Londres 2009), y Masters Show 2009,
Chelsea College of Art & Design (Londres 2009).
Actualmente Baliarda se encuentra desarrollando la obra No has estado
siempre distrado por la expectativa?, un libro de artista de dibujos en gra-
fto de tamao real de todas las fores silvestres que la artista recogi en un
metro cuadrado de campo. En palabras de la artista, un memento mori en
forma de elega con esttica botnica, victoriana y japonesa a la vez.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 31)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Detalle de "A travs de ambos reinos para siempre (n 38)", 2010,
grafito sobre papel de calcar, 27 x 22 cm.
Mercedes Baliarda is represented in London by Maddox Arts and The
Contemporary London. In Latin America she works with the Fiebre gallery,
in Buenos Aires, where she had her frst solo show Lo que revela de vos
mismo, during 2011. Her works are part of private collections such as Tate
Collection, Selfridges Collection, Modern British Collections at the British
Library and University Art Collection, among others.
The last diptych she produced, Drops of sweat crawled down her
back, one by one, like slow insects, was exhibited during the month
of April on The Contemporary Londons show Per Annum: 12. The
work is formed by two drawings: a pressed flower drawn on graph pa-
per in complement, unison and opposition to an adaptation of a skull
image by Dal.Baliarda has participated of several group exhibitions,
among them: A History Revisited, Joze Art Fair, The Library Space
(London 2012), Lo que revela de vos mismo, Fiebre (Buenos Aires
2011), Premio Fundacin Williams de Arte Joven 2010, DISSIPATIO
H.G., Chiostro di Voltorre (Varese, Italy 2011), Anticipation, Selfridges
Oxford Street (London 2010), Naturaleza Expandida, Centro Cultural
Recoleta (Buenos Aires 2010), I See Alone Sometimes, Maddox Arts,
(London 2010), C4RD Moot: fourdayslong, Center for Recent Drawing
(London 2009), y Masters Show 2009, Chelsea College of Art & Design
(London 2009).
At the moment she is developing the work Where you not always dis-
traught by expectation?', an artist book that includes graphite drawings on
real scale of all the wild fowers she found in a square meter of feld. In the
artists words, a memento mori in the shape of an elegy with a botanical,
Victorian and Japanese aesthetic at the same time.
Sofa Lpez Man
ApropiAcin dE unA prEsEnciA AusEntE |
APPRoPRIAtIon oF An ABSEnt PRESEnCE
Researching on the work of Sofa Lpez Man (1982)
is like submerging into an intimate journal that lets
you witness other peoples lives through details
and fragments of presences. She is an artist that
develops each one of her projects by getting involved
in different levels. Travels, spiritual retirements, living
with strangers, making researches of deserted places,
dialogues, and films are what define her art not only as
photographs but also as performance works.
Estudiar la obra de Sofa Lpez Man (1982) es
sumergirse en un diario ntimo que permite observar
vidas ajenas a travs de detalles y fragmentos de
presencias. La artista lleva adelante cada uno de sus
proyectos involucrndose en diversos niveles. Viajes,
investigaciones sobre lugares abandonados, dilogos
y filmaciones son lo que definen su arte, no slo como
fotografas sino tambin como trabajos performticos.
Por Laeticia Mello . curadora (Argentina)
Fotografas cortesa de Sofa Lpez Man
p
d
ese a iniciar su produccin en 2007 es una de las ms prolfcas artis-
tas emergentes contemporneas. El cuerpo de su obra lo conforman
las seres Propiedad Privada, Honduras, Monoblock, Annimos y Memoria
de las nimas de un bosque y a travs de ellas, la artista consigue capturar
nostalgia, olvido, apropiacin, intimidad y abandono. En su trabajo Lpez
Man examina la identidad e intimidad del sujeto, sin hacerlo presente
ms que con el desacomodamiento de un juego de sbanas y la hendidu-
ra de una almohada, o con un haz de luz que se fltra a travs de ladrillos
bloqueando la ventana.
espite having begun her production in the year 2007, she is one of
the most prolifc emerging contemporary artists. Her body of work
includes the series Propiedad Privada, Honduras, Monoblock, Annimos
and Memoria de las nimas de un bosque. Through them, Sofa achieves
to capture nostalgia, oblivion, appropriation, intimacy and abandonment.
In her work, she examines the identity and intimacy of the subject by
making him present only by untidy covers and bed sheets, a trace in a
pillow, or maybe with a ray of light that flters through brick walls that
cover a window.
Argentina | Argentina
Fotografa | Photografy
60 . 61
Annimo 4, 2011, toma directa digital/ impresin lambda, 130 x 86 cm. Ed.7
Annimo 1, 2011, toma directa digital, impresin lambda,150 x 100 cm. Ed. 7
Conoc a Sofa Lpez Man en 2008 durante su primera muestra indi-
vidual en Isidro Miranda. Yo trabajaba para la galera y recuerdo que le
pregunt casi ansiosa qu eran esas cajas que iba a exponer. Las obras
pertenecan a Propiedad Privada, un trabajo que involucraba camas, con
colchones trasladados desde distintos lugares abandonados o en demoli-
cin. Los colchones espacio privado de uso particular, molde que registra
el cuerpo en descanso, defniran la primera propiedad privada, pues uno
es dueo de su propia cama, almohada, sbanas y acolchados. Ellos conte-
nan la huella de una presencia, la de Sofa.
Las cajas de luz de Propiedad Privada estaban conformadas, en la parte
frontal, por una mirilla calada en el vidrio que permita al espectador ser
testigo de una situacin ntima y convertirse en voyeur. Al observar dentro
se vea una habitacin recreada en escala, con su techo, parquet, paredes
y vigas, generando una visin en tres dimensiones junto a la fotografa de
la cama en uso. Trabaj muy vinculada a mi cama, mi primera propiedad
privada. Mi territorio habitable, si me baso en los conceptos cartogrfcos
del medioevo. Al principio prob en dormir en medio del campo, bajo los
rboles y en vagones abandonados. Cargaba la cama en el auto y me gra-
baba mientras me apropiaba de estos lugares. Me gusta marcar presencia
en un espacio que no es reclamado y en defnitiva reafrmar el concepto de
mi propiedad privada, explica Lpez Man.
Topografas (2009-2010) es la segunda serie vinculada a la cama que de-
sarrolla. La primera topografa, El Macizo de Kember, es un retrato de su
madre. Resulta fcil ver a travs del mapa de sbanas un cuerpo femenino.
La imagen, al igual que las otras fotografas de la serie, es de 1,80 metros
I met Sofa Lpez Maan during the 2008 while she was preparing her solo
show at Isidro Miranda Contemporary Gallery in Buenos Aires. I was working
for the Gallery and I remember having asked her, almost with anxiety, what
were those boxes she was about to exhibit. The pieces were part of Propiedad
Privada, a work that involved beds, with mattresses she pulled from different
places that were uninhabited or in demolition. Those mattresses -a private
space with unique characteristics, that registers the mould of a resting body-
will defne the frst private property. One is owner of ones own bed, pillow, bed
sheets and duvet. They kept the trace of a presence, Sofs presence.

The light boxes of Propiedad Privada are built, on the front part, with a
small peephole in the glass allowing the viewer to witness an intimate
situation and therefore, becoming a voyeur and breaking-in into someone
elses territory. The piece represented a room created in scale, with its
ceiling, parquet, walls and joists creating a three dimensional view along
with the photography of a bed that had been used. All my works are
deeply linked to my bed, my frst private property. My inhabitable terri-
tory, if I base it on medieval cartographic concepts. In the beginning I tried
sleeping in the middle of the felds, under the trees and among abandoned
wagons. I would carry my bed in the car and flmed myself whilst making
those places my own. And in that place where no one ever claims belong-
ing, I decided to place my bed and sleep, Lpez Man explains.
Topografas (2009-2010) is the second series linked to the bed. The frst
topography El Macizo de Kember is a portrait of her mother. It is easy
to see a female body through the map of bed sheets. The image, just like
the other photographs of the series, is 1,80 meters. It is taken in a fipped
Annimo 5, 2011, toma directa digital, impresin lambda, 130 x 86 cm. Ed.7
con plano rebatido para generar la percepcin de una cama real, la del
propietario. Todas abordan el estudio del espacio geogrfco individual, es
un mapa en anonimato de la persona retratada.
El trabajo que continu con el concepto de lugar en olvido fue Mono-
block (2011), proyecto realizado a principios de 2011 para la Fundacin
Ita en Buenos Aires. Sofa y yo trabajamos juntas en la propuesta que
comprenda dos impresiones fotogrfcas en escala real de dos arqui-
tecturas ausentes en limbo, puestas en la fachada de la fundacin. Con
el tromp l oeil tcnica del Renacimiento para engaar la vista a travs
de la perspectiva y otros efectos pticos, la intencin era crear un
espectador activo que tuviera la sensacin de estar dentro del edifcio
en demolicin. La instalacin pretenda interceptar la muerte, funcionar
como un antiguo daguerrotipo de dos construcciones del microcentro
de Buenos Aires imposibles de ubicar geogrfcamente quizs era el
antiguo Teatro Coliseo o incluso el Palacio Mir, que fue demolido en
1937 para ampliar la Plaza Lavalle, y abra la posibilidad de perpetuar
el tiempo y un espacio a travs de la fotografa: la dicotoma de la ilu-
sin de la permanencia en la eternidad.
Annimos (2011) es el retorno al simbolismo, un autorretrato que encierra
todos los conceptos anteriores, donde el encubrimiento se hace manifesto
pero esta vez con presencias. Es un compendio ntimo donde la indivi-
dualidad de las fguras permanece oculta y la artista consigue plasmar su
propio sujeto a travs de diferentes annimos. Lo inefable se camufa en
el bosque, en lo natural. Desde los interiores con decorados forales hasta
los suicidios en suspensin, donde lo nico que pareciera tener vida es la
vertical plane to generate the perception of a real bed. All of them raise
the subject of individual geographical space. It is an anonymous map of
the portrayed person.
The work that continued with the concept of the forgotten place was
Monoblock (2011), a project made during the beginning of 2011 for The
Fundacin Ita in Buenos Aires. Sofa and me worked together in the pro-
posal that included two photographs in a real scale of two absent architec-
tures in limbo. They were placed on the faade of the Foundation. By the
use of tromp l oeil, an art technique that uses extremely realistic imagery,
Sofa created the optical illusion where the depicted objects in the photo-
graph appeared in three dimensions. The idea was to engulf the viewer so
that he felt that he was actually taking part of the building in demolition.
The objective of the installation was to intercept death, to work as an old
daguerreotype of two constructions of the microcenter which are impos-
sible to place geographically maybe at the old Teatro Coliseo or even the
Palacio Miro, demolished in 1937 to enlarge the Plaza Lavalle-, and opened
up to the possibility of perpetuating time and space through photography:
dichotomy of illusion of the permanence of eternity.
Annimos (2011), is the return to symbolism, a self portrait that em-
braces all the previous concepts where the cover up becomes obvious,
but this time with presences. Its an intimate compendium where the
individuality of the fgures remains hidden and the artist achieves to give
expression and capture her own self through different anonymous. What
is ineffable, disguises in the woods, in what is natural. From fower deco-
rated interiors to suspended suicides, where the only thing that seems to
cabellera de las siluetas femeninas, se encuentra la contemplacin de un
coloquio en soledad. Una nia bajo un tapado de piel, recubierta de hojas
campaniformes. La individualidad permanece oculta e indisoluble. Sobre
una roca en un trozo de prado cubierto de fores se encuentran dos fguras
absortas la una en la otra. Por ltimo, el desdoblamiento fotogrfco de
la imagen femenina y amenazadora. La jurisprudencia, la siempre Nuda
Veritas, describe la artista.
Durante abril se exhibi en Buenos Aires en la Galera Pabelln 4 la segun-
da parte de los trabajos de Annimos, Memoria de las nimas de un bos-
que. La muestra incluy retratos y una sub-serie llamada Los Olivos que
comprende cuatro imgenes continuas de una mujer bajo un olivo como
alegora y retorno a la armona prenatal: la ambivalencia de lo femenino-
psicolgico y lo ertico-sexual. Adems se instal un cantero que contena
doce rboles proyectados en perspectiva a travs de leds. Lo ms desta-
cable de estos bosques era el desarrollo vegetal, lento e imperceptible, una
dimensin temporal independiente que confgura un cosmos biolgico al
margen y a la vez, en enlace con el hombre.
Sofa Lpez Man es Licenciada en Artes Visuales con orientacin
en pintura del Instituto Universitario Nacional de las Artes, cuenta con
estudios de direccin de arte publicitaria, fotografa documental y periods-
tica, y direccin de fotografa para cine. Realiz talleres con artistas como
Mariana Borovinsky, Juan Doffo, Patricio Larrambebere y Leo Liberman y
en 2011 fue becada para participar del Foundry Photojournalism Workshop
y en el Buenos Aires Photoworkshop. En marzo 2012 su trabajo fotogrfco
Annimos gan el concurso Mono by Gomma Contest.
be alive is the hair of the female fgures represented, there is contempla-
tion of a dialogue full of loneliness. Annimos lessens and limits through
symbolic fgures the three Gorgons, madness, disease and death. A
girl under a fur coat, covered by bell-shaped leaves. The individuality
remains hidden and insoluble. On a rock among a feld of fowers, two
fgures meet, absorbed one into the other. At last, the photographic un-
fold of the female and threatening fgure. The Jurisprudence, the always
Nuda Veritas refers the exhibition text.
This past April the works that followed Annimos, Memoria de las ni-
mas de un bosque were exhibited in Pabellon 4 Gallery in Buenos Aires.
The exhibition comprised portrays and a sub-series called Los Olivos,
showing four continuous images of a woman under an olive tree as an
allegory and return to the prenatal harmony: the ambivalence of the psy-
chological and the feminine in opposition to the sexual and erotic. Sofa
also installed a fowerbed containing twelve trees that were projected
creating a perspective through the shadows of led lights. The most inter-
esting quality of those woods was the slow and imperceptible develop-
ment of the vegetation, an independent time dimension that gives origin
to a biological cosmos far and, at the same time, linked to man.
Sofa Lpez Man has a degree in Fine Arts, specializing on painting
by the Instituto Universitario Nacional de las Artes. She studied adver-
tising, journalism and documentary photography. She attended to the
studios of artists Mariana Borovinsky, Juan Doffo, Patricio Larrambebere
and Leo Liberman. During the year 2011 she received a scholarship for
the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop and the Buenos Aires Photo-
workshop, and on March 2012 she was invited to participate at Mono by
Gomma Contest with her work Annimos.
Annimo 7, 2011, fotografa digital, impresin lambda,48 x 30 cm. Ed. 7
Ian Ingram
El EspEctro complEto dE lA rEAlidAd |
thE CoMPLEtE SPECtRuM oF REALItY
Through the use of great scale self-portraits, Ian Ingram
explores the duality found in the human being. With
charcoal and pastel drawings he achieves to connect
hyperrealism with surrealism, in a constant search of the
universal truth, which is sealed between two extremes.
Con autorretratos a gran escala Ian Ingram explora la
dualidad que encuentra en el ser humano. Con dibujos
en carbn y pastel logra conectar hiperrealismo y
surrealismo, en una constante bsqueda de la verdad
universal que se encierra entre dos extremos.
Por Constanza Khamis . periodista
Fotografas cortesa de Ian Ingram
Estados unidos | united States
Dibujo | Drawing
66 . 67

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Ever since ancient times the myth of divine inspiration invades artists;
the nine muses, daughters of Zeus, that illuminate any creation. The
muses of Ian Ingram (United States, 1974), however, do not live in Olympia.
They are much closer; in his daily life, in the facts that have left a mark on
him like getting married, becoming a father-, and mainly, within himself.
The starting point is his own face, that he expresses in canvases larger
that two meters high, creating series of self-portraits that make an impact
not just because of their size but also because of their level of precision in
each detail.
In order to achieve that accuracy, Ingram has a close relationship with his
refection. He can spend the three of four months that take him to fnish a
painting sitting in front of mirrors of different sizes that will allow him to look at
himself in detail and be able to study thoroughly not just his physical details,
but also the exploration of his own psyche and represent the results through
charcoal and paper.
Why is accuracy in details so important in your
drawings?
Accuracy is the result of honest seeing. It comes from having seen
something as it really is, understanding it, and translating it into
the language of drawing. For me the understanding is what leads to
better drawings. Accurate rendering is a side effect of understanding.
Examining details reveals a whole new world and keeps the eyes fresh
and flled with wonder. Lips can look like a canyon when magnifed.
Seeing my lips as a canyon makes me lose my identity with what I am
drawing and keeps my eyes honest and free of judgmental baggage.
How important is for you the author as a part of his own
work?
Art is often valued for its connection to the artist who created it.
This is a peculiar human system of value. It is assumed that the es-
sence of the artist resides within the art. If a Pollack painting is dis-
covered to be a forgery, it loses all its value even though it might be
just as beautiful as his other paintings. As an artist, I take this into
account. However, I find it slightly silly that people behave this way,
paying thousands of dollars for a paper clip used by Elvis, and while
I love that as a poetic element of humanity, I try to make work that
has its own obvious and undeniable value. I tend to like art and try
to make art that does not rely upon a cult of personality surrounding
the artist. That said, I did pick up a piece of green fuzz from Grace-
land's Jungle Room and admit that I laminated it.
What new meaning can self-portrait deliver in contemporary
society? How does empowerment of the common individual affect
the relationship between self-portrait and contemporary society?
Contemporary art seems to be fairly consistent in being idiosyncratic
expressions of "self". Artists do whatever they want and it is consid-
ered blasphemy if they compromise upon their precious whims. In
this regard, contemporary art is mostly in the vein of self-portraiture. I
make self portraits to add focus to this fame. I think the degree of self
refection our culture indulges in is what defnes us and so self por-
traiture feels very natural to me. However, as Warhol was at the zenith
of this self refection/obsession I believe we are now at a point where
the pendulum is swinging back. Our self indulgence is fnding natural
boundaries that are pushing back and there is a calling-out for collec-
tive consciousness. I think self portraiture is a perfect language to give
voice to this transition.
esde la Antigedad sobrevive el mito de la inspiracin divina que
invade a los artistas; las nueve musas, hijas de Zeus, que iluminan
cualquier creacin. Las musas de Ian Ingram (Estados Unidos, 1974), sin
embargo, no viven en el Olimpo. Estn mucho ms cerca; en su vida diaria,
en los hechos que lo han marcado como casarse y ser padre, y principal-
mente en s mismo. El punto de partida es su propia cara que plasma en
lienzos de ms de dos metros de alto, creando series de autorretratos que
impactan no slo por su tamao sino tambin por el nivel de precisin en
cada detalle.
Para alcanzar esa exactitud, Ingram tiene una relacin cercana con su
refejo. Puede pasar los tres o cuatro meses que tarda en terminar una obra
sentado frente a espejos de distintos tamaos que le permitan mirarse en
detalle y lograr adentrarse no slo en sus detalles fsicos, sino que en la
exploracin de su propia psiquis y representar los resultados a travs del
carbn y el papel.
Por que la exactitud en los detalles es tan importante en
sus dibujos?
La exactitud es el resultado de mirar con honestidad. Viene de haber
visto algo como realmente es, de comprenderlo y de traducirlo a un len-
guaje de dibujo. Para mi el entendimiento es lo que lleva a dibujar mejor.
El examinar detalles revela todo un nuevo mundo y mantiene los ojos
frescos y llenos de asombro. Los labios pueden parecer caones cuando
uno los observa con aumento. Ver mis labios como caones me hace
perder mi identidad con lo que estoy dibujando y mantiene mis ojos
honestos y libres de bagaje sentencioso.
Cmo de importante es para usted el autor como parte de su
propio trabajo?
El arte es muchas veces valorado por su conexin con el artista que lo cre.
Este es un sistema de valoracin humano bastante extrao. Se asume que
la esencia del artista reside dentro del arte. Si se descubre que un cuadro de
Pollock es falso pierde su valor an cuando puede haber sido igual de bonito
que sus otros cuadros. Como artista tomo esto en consideracin. Sin embargo
encuentro que es un poco tonto que las personas se comporten de esa ma-
nera, pagando miles de dlares por un clip de papel que uso Elvis, y aunque
me encanta lo potico de ese elemento de la humanidad, trato de hacer obras
que tengan su propio valor obvio e innegable. Tiendo a que me guste el arte
y trato de hacer arte que no dependa de un culto de personalidad en torno
al artista. Dicho eso, debo decir que recog un pedazo de pelusa verde de la
Jungle Room de Graceland y debo admitir que la tengo laminada.
Qu nuevo signifcado puede entregar un autorretrato en la socie-
dad de hoy? Cmo afecta el empoderamiento del individuo comn a
la relacin entre el autorretrato y la sociedad contempornea?
El arte contemporneo parece ser bastante consistente en ser expresiones
idiosincrticas del yo. Los artistas hacen lo que quieren y se considera una
blasfemia si transigen alguno de sus preciosos antojos. En este respecto el
arte contemporneo esta principalmente en las venas del autorretrato. Yo
hago autorretratos para agregarle un enfoque a esta llama. Pienso que el nivel
de autorrefexin que nuestra cultura permite es lo que nos defne, por lo que
los autorretratos son para mi algo muy natural. Sin embargo mientras Warhol
estaba en el cenit de su auto refejo/obsesin, creo que ahora estamos en un
punto donde el pndulo oscila de vuelta. Nuestra auto indulgencia encuentra
limites naturales que hacen retroceder y hay un llamado hacia la conciencia
colectiva. Creo que el autorretrato es un lenguaje perfecto para dar una voz a
esa transicin.
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Porqu decidi incorporar a los materiales que usa generalmen-
te (carbn y pastel) cosas tan inusuales como la cera de abejas,
alambre o mariposas de verdad?
El papel es una cosa tan natural y aceptador; puede arrugarse,
doblarse, cortarse, quemarse, rajarse, etc... Est ah, con una enorme
energa potencial pidiendo que le des t todo. Esos materiales no me
parecen tan inusuales, son solo la mejor manera de sacar pensamientos
especfcos a la luz.
Qu importancia tiene el tamao en sus obras? Por qu escogi
hacer autorretratos, que generalmente son a escala humana, de un
tamao mucho ms grande?
Mientras ms miraba, ms vea. Era ms fcil que el papel fuera ms grande
que hacer marcas ms pequeas. La lgica me insista en un aumento de
tamao y en poco tiempo me acostumbr a la escala grande. Este tamao an
me impacta cuando veo los marcos en los que mis cuadros deberan caber.
De que manera se diferencia su trabajo de una pintura?Puede
defnir su estilo como uno en particular?
Hay una suposicin general de que el dibujo es solo una preparacin para
la pintura. Me sent tan cmodo con el dibujo que nunca lo dej. Pienso que el
papel es lo que defne la diferencia. El papel es ntimo y cmodo y nos provoca
ganas de tocarlo. La pintura es alqumica y barnizada e ilusoria. En cuanto a
mi estilo personal, uso trminos como dibujos en carbn hiperrealistas con
poco entusiasmo. Al igual que la mayora de los artistas espero que mi obra
desafe a las defniciones. Cuando tengo la opcin, como ahora, me quedo con
un extravagante no, mi estilo no puede ser defnido.
Qu es lo que trata de plantear al crear dibujos humanos hi-
perrealistas mezclados con otros detalles que son de cierta forma
surreales? Por ejemplo el hilo metlico que bordea su cara en Fa-
ther, o las mariposas que salen de su barba en Our Koruna Mus.
Supongo que la verdad. Hiperreal y surreal: el espectro completo de lo
real. Pertenecen juntos.
En su ltima obra escoge retratos en pares para representar ele-
mentos y sus polos opuestos. Sin embargo tambin se ha referido
a lo que pierde entre medio cuando se centra solo en los polos y
no en lo que est en medio. Hay alguna manera de manejar eso
en su trabajo?
Tengo la gran esperanza de que haya una manera de manejar eso.
Acabo de dejar atrs los emparejamientos. La idea es esta: hiperreal y
surreal- el espectro completo de lo real. Esos son dos polos de la categora
Realidad. Me encontr en una carrera constante entre un polo y el otro
en mi paisaje mental tratando desesperadamente de encontrar un enten-
dimiento de esa psiquis esquiva. Cada vez que plantaba una bandera en
dos polaridades, aparecan dos nuevas y comenzaba nuevamente tratando
de defnir los parmetros de una nueva arquitectura interior. Mientras
haca este trabajo en mi estudio, me cas, tuve hijos y mi vida comenz a
exigirme ms. Volva a entrar al estudio para tratar de llevar mi enfoque a
nuevos extremos solo para ser llamado para lavar ropa o ir por mas paales.
Mientras intentaba defnir la realidad poniendo marcas en los extremos,
la realidadme llamaba de vuelta. As es que cmo afecta esto a mis
dibujos? Lo trato como el trabajo que es. Me enfoco en la interpretacin.
Hay una perdida de simbolismo extravagante, pero lo que se gana es una
saturacin de poesa de lo mundano, que es todo menos eso.
Why did you decide to incorporate to the materials you gener-
ally use (charcoal and pastel), such unusual things as beeswax,
wires or real butterfies?
Paper is such a neutral and accepting thing; it can crumple, fold, cut,
burn, tear, etc. It just sits there with vast potential energy asking for
everything you got. Those materials don't really seem unusual to me,
they are just the most obvious way of pulling specifc thoughts out into
the light.
What relevance does size have in your work? Why did you choose
to do self portraits, that are usually made at a human scale, so
much bigger?
The more I looked the more I saw. It was easier to make the paper bigger
than make the marks smaller. That rationale kept dictating an increase in
size and I grew slowly comfortable with large scale. The size still shocks me
when I see the frames my drawings are supposed to ft inside of.
How does your work stand from painting? Can you defne yours as
a particular style?
There is a general assumption that drawing is just preparation for paint-
ing. I felt so comfortable with drawing I never left it. I think paper is the de-
fning difference. Paper is intimate and comfortable and gives a longing for
touch. Painting is alchemical and varnished and illusory. As for my particular
style, I toss around terms like hyper realist charcoal drawings with little
enthusiasm. Like most artists I would hope that my work defes defnition.
When given the option, as you have done here, I will go with a famboyant,
no, my style cannot be defned.
What do you try to state by creating hyper realist human drawings
mixed with details that are somehow surreal? For example the metallic
thread that surrounds your face on Father, or the butterfies fying out
of the beard in Our Koruna Mus.
The truth, I suppose. Hyper real and Surreal: the full spectrum of real.
They belong together.
In your latest work you chose pairs of portraits, to represent
an element and its opposite pole. However, you have also re-
ferred to what you loose in-between when you center only in the
poles and not in whats in the middle. Is there a way to handle
that through your work?
I have great hope that there is a way to handle that. I have just left
the pairings behind. The idea is this: hyper real and surreal- the full
spectrum of real. Those are two poles of the category reality. I found
myself in a constant sprint from one pole to the other in my mental
landscape trying desperately to gain an understanding of that elusive
psyche. Each time I set a fag down on two polarities, two new ones
appeared and I was off again trying to defne the parameters of a new
interior architecture. While I was doing this work in my studio, I got
married and had children and my life started demanding more of me.
I would step back into the studio and try to fing my focus to further
extremes only to be called back to do the laundry or get more diapers.
While I was trying to defne reality by placing markers at the extremi-
ties, I kept getting called back by reality. So how does this affect my
drawings? I treat it like the work it is. I focus on the rendering. There
is a loss of famboyant symbolism, but what is gained is a saturation in
the poetry of the mundane, which is anything but.

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La labor del artista es hacer visible una parte de la realidad que
permaneca invisible.
Por aos seducido por un paisaje visto desde la carretera que une Via del
Mar con Santiago, Jos Basso se ha dedicado a capturar galpones y casas
que ve a lo lejos; y que a veces acompaa de un rbol, una escalera, una
luna y siempre con una gama cromtica sugerente. No quiero que el arte
sea una prctica de shock y desconcierto. Vivimos una poca en que mu-
chas personas viven con una creciente inseguridad. El shock y el descon-
cierto operan como un duplicado de esa realidad ingrata, de un presente
sufcientemente insatisfactorio, dice el artista. Sin embargo esos paisajes
pulcros, prolijos y de pocos elementos evocan misterios y silencios, a veces
desolacin y melancola, e incluso sentimientos de dolor y prdida.
En su trayectoria artstica Basso le ha hecho guios a la alquimia en busca
de una perfeccin que transforme estas emociones dolorosas en belleza.
Porque para l, el arte es la enigmtica bsqueda del sentido, de una belle-
za profunda; no hablo de la belleza superfcial sino de una a nivel interior,
que nos conmueva, que signifque algo y que nos hable desde su propio
silencio.
En 2011 tom el ala sur del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes con
ms de cien obras desarrolladas por ms de 30 aos: pinturas de
medianos y grandes formatos, instalaciones, fotografas de interven-
The artists job is to make visible the part of the reality that has re-
mained invisible."
Seduced for years by the road connecting Via del Mar with Santiago,
Jos Basso has dedicated to capture the barns and houses that he
could see from the distance, which in his canvasses are accompanied
by a tree, a ladder, a moon and a suggestive chromatic gamut. I dont
want art to be a practice of shock and bewilderment. This is a time
when many people live with growing insecurity. The shock and confu-
sion operate as a duplicate of that unpleasant reality, as an unsatisfac-
tory present, says the artist. However, his landscapes neat, clean
and with few elements evoke mysteries, silences, sometimes desola-
tion and melancholy, or even feelings of grief and loss.
During his artistic path, Basso has flirted with alchemy in the search
for a perfection that transforms painful emotions into beauty. Because
for him art is an enigmatic search of sense and deep beauty. I am not
talking about superficial beauty, but about an interior one that can
move you or mean something, and that talks from its own silence,
continues Basso.
In 2011 he took the south wing of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
with more than one hundred works developed during over 30 years:
paintings of medium and great format, installations, photography of
" "
Chile | Chile
Pintura, instalacin | Painting, installation
EconomA dE formAs, EmocionEs profundAs |
EConoMY oF FoRMS, DEEP EMotIonS
leos de paisajes con profundos horizontes, algn
que otro elemento en medio, y un uso del color
muy particular. Tambin instalaciones, grabados,
intervenciones. Msica. Todos estos son los medios que
Jos Basso ha utilizado por ms de treinta aos para
rescatar la belleza a travs de su trabajo.
Oil paintings of landscapes with deep horizons, one or
two elements here and there, and a very particular use
of colour. Also installations, engravings, interventions,
and music. All these elements are the mediums that Jos
Basso has used for over thirty years to the rescue beauty
through his work.
Jos Basso
Por valeria Sols t. . periodista y escritora
Fotografas de Claudia henrquez
76 . 77
ciones en la naturaleza, grabados e incluso un video donde aparece
afnando el tambor de su batera. S, porque a Jos Basso se le suele
vincular slo con la pintura, pero su arte se manifesta tambin en
otras disciplinas y en el jazz, donde se desempea como baterista
junto su banda, la afnacin en la msica est obligada a la bsque-
da del sonido perfecto; no existe el trmino medio: ests afnado o
no lo ests. En cambio en la plstica no ocurre lo mismo.
Qu signifc para ti ver este recorrido de tu obra, qu te
llam ms la atencin?
Al ver todo junto [a pesar de que en la exposicin no estn todos
los perodos representados] veo claramente las etapas por las que he
pasado, cada una respondiendo a la vida de esos momentos, pero
me sorprendi descubrir que al mismo tiempo haba hecho siempre
lo mismo. Desde las obras ms abstractas hasta los paisajes ms
recientes, siempre hubo una constante latente.
Te referes a la reiteracin del paisaje y los pocos elemen-
tos dentro de la obra?
S, hay etapas que estn como superpuestas. Hay obras que estn
hechas en el mismo tiempo y que son cosas totalmente distintas,
pero siempre estn en esa constante: el sentido horizontal y por otra
parte, la limpieza y economa de elementos.
interventions in nature, engravings and even a video where he appears
tuning the drum of his drum set. Yes, because Jos Basso is normally
only associated with painting, but his art is also expressed in other
disciplines and in jazz, where he is the drummer of his band. The sense
of tuning in music is a must in the search for the perfect sound; there is
nothing wrong there regarding perfection, there is no in between. How-
ever, it is not the same thing in plastics.
What did it mean for you to see this trajectory of your work,
what caught your attention?
"Seeing it all together [even though not all the periods were pre-
sented in the exhibition] I clearly see the stages I went through, each
one responding to what I was living in that time. But I was surprised to
discover, at the same time, that I had always done the same. From the
more abstract works to the most recent landscapes, there was always a
latent constant.
Do you refer to the reiteration of the landscape and the few
elements in the work?
Yes, there are many stages that are like overlapped. Some works are
done during the same time and totally different, but they are always
in the same constant: the horizontal sense and, on the other hand, the
neatness and economy of elements.
En las Puertas del Bosque", 2008, leo sobre tela, 72 x 100 cm.
En ese sentido, se puede hablar de minimalismo o no te
gusta poner adjetivos?
Me he resistido a la etiqueta de minimalista, porque es un tipo de arte
que no se podra dar en Chile, es una tendencia que se desarroll en
Estados Unidos en los aos 60 en una sociedad absolutamente distinta
a la nuestra. Mi trabajo slo era minimalista porque tena pocos elemen-
tos, pero mis obras siempre contenan temas polticos y/o sociales que
no tenan nada que ver con el minimalismo. Mi obra ha sido ms bien
emocional. Ahora que lo veo en perspectiva creo que soy un minimalista
romntico. Por cierto, stas son dos palabras que se repelen en el lengua-
je del arte.
En tu propuesta, hay una intencin de centrar las emociones en
esas pocas fguras?
Por supuesto. Desde el comienzo hay una intencin de concentrar
el sentido y la emocin en unas formas que puedan transmitir los sen-
timientos de las percepciones que pudieran haberme afectado.
Por ejemplo, la fgura de la casa que es emblemtica, porque signif-
ca muchas cosas es una forma que acta como fltro de esos senti-
mientos.
El contenido a veces horrendo de algunas obras puede pasar inadver-
tido a la primera mirada y se puede manifestar como una revelacin
en el proceso de la observacin. Lo ideal es que la obra sobreviva sin
ningn relato, que sea lo ms neutra posible.
In this sense, can we talk about minimalism or do you not like
using adjectives?
I have resisted to the label of minimalism because it is a type of art
that could not happen in Chile, it is a tendency that developed in the
United States during the 60s in a society that is completely different to
ours. My work was only minimalism because it had few elements, but
there were always social and/or political issues implied that had noth-
ing to do with minimalism. My work is more emotional. Now that I see
it with perspective, I believe I am a romantic minimalist.
By the way, they are two words that repel each other in the language of
art.
In your proposal, is there an intension to focus the emotions in
those few fgures?
Of course, yes. From the beginning there is an intension to con-
centrate the sense and the emotion in a way that could communicate
the feelings of the perceptions that could have affected me.
For example, the figure of the house which is very emblematic
because it means many things is a figure that act like a filter of those
feelings.
The content, sometimes horrific, of some works may go unnoticed
at first glance and it can be showed as a revelation in the process of
observation. Ideally, the work should survive without any story and be
as neutral as possible.
"Paisaje Romntico", 2008, leo sobre tela, 110 x 160 cm.
Gaspar Galaz escribi en el catlogo de tu retrospectiva que la
trama oculta de tu pintura es la ausencia del ser humano. Cmo lo
ves t?
Por ejemplo las casas son una representacin de lo humano. Eso es algo
que uno percibe de inmediato, pero al mismo tiempo las casas no tienen
puertas ni ventanas, lo cual es una omisin del dibujo, de los detalles de la
casa, y esos detalles omitidos hablan por lo que falta. Y justamente lo que
falta son los desaparecidos seres humanos.
El uso de la luz en tu obra, al menos la de los paisajes, tambin
es diferente. Es una luz que no es factible, no es una luz del sol, ni
artifcial.
Esa luz es simblica, es un resplandor espiritual. Todo es simblico,
el rbol y la escalera tienen un movimiento ascendente en el sentido del
crecimiento interior del ser humano. Esa luz tambin se puede observar
en el oro de mis instalaciones. El oro representa lo mejor de lo humano,
el alma resplandeciente. En la bsqueda de la perfeccin el oro es a la
tierra lo que el corazn a los hombres. La perfeccin es inalcanzable,
pero infnitamente cercana.
Despus de esta gran retrospectiva de tu trabajo en el Museo
Nacional de Bellas Artes sientes que se cierra un ciclo o ya habas
iniciado uno nuevo?
Haca mucho tiempo que tena ganas de ver una parte importante de
The artist Gaspar Galaz wrote in the catalogue of your retrospec-
tive that the thread of your painting is the absence of human beings.
What do you think?
For example the houses are a representation of the human. That is some-
thing that one perceives immediately. But at the same time the houses have
no doors or windows, which is an omission in the drawing, in the details of
the house, and those omitted details speak for what is missing. And the hu-
man beings are precisely what is missing.
The use of light in your work, at least of the landscapes, is also
different. It is a light which is not feasible, it is not sunlight or
artifcial.
That light is symbolic, it is a spiritual glow. Everything is symbolic,
the tree and the ladder have an upward movement in the sense of inner
growth of man. That light can also be seen in the gold of my installa-
tions. Gold represents the best of humanity, the gleaming soul. In the
pursuit for perfection gold is to land what heart is to men. Perfection is
unattainable, but infnitely close.
After this great retrospective of your work at the Museo Nacional
de Bellas Artes, do you feel that it closes a new cycle or had you
already started a new one?
A long time ago I wanted to see a big part of my works gathered, because
there is no other way to see then rather than in a retrospective show, in this
nube negra, 2011, leo sobre tela, 178 x 198 cm.
mis obras reunidas, porque no hay otra forma de verlas si no es en el
espacio de una retrospectiva, en este caso el espacio del Museo. Las pin-
turas, las instalaciones, algunas piezas que estn constituidas de doce
partes y ahora restauradas, cobraron vida en la perspectiva histrica en
la que se insertan. Fue agradable ver que obras como las instalaciones en
las playas de Via del ao 1977 mantenan intacta su vigencia. En efecto,
necesariamente se cierra un ciclo. Pero esa continuidad de la que hemos
hablado persiste en las nuevas pinturas de mar en que estoy trabajando.
Cuando se organiz la exposicin en el museo yo estaba realizando los
paisajes de mar. Paradjicamente siempre he vivido cerca del mar y no
lo haba incluido ampliamente en mi iconografa. Hay algo sublime en
la contemplacin del mar que tiene que ver con la belleza; y la belleza se
relaciona con la bondad, con el equilibrio, pero al mismo tiempo se pro-
duce ansiedad en esa visin, porque es infnito, inquietante. El mar que
pinto ahora es abierto a la inmensidad y un barco reemplaza la casa. El
barco es la nave simblica a travs de la historia: la barca de los muertos,
el eterno retorno, el ltimo viaje, etc. La belleza de esa imagen encierra el
deseo de aparecer y desaparecer simultneamente, sin embargo nada de
lo que puedas ver en el cuadro es lo que es.
Jos Basso vive y trabaja en Via del Mar, Chile. 1975: Premio Pintura II Bi-
enal Internacional de Valparaso. 1983: XVII Bienal de Sao Paulo, Brasil. 1992
Chile Today. Museo Hara, Tokio, Japn. 1994, 2005: Art Miami. 2011: Feria
Ch.ACO, Santiago.
case in the Museums space. The paintings, installations, some of the pieces
that were built in twelve parts and then restored for the occasion, came to
life in a historical perspective in which they were inserted. It was nice to see
that works like the installations I made at the beaches in Via in 1977, still had
their strength intact.This, indeed, necessarily closes a cycle. But this continu-
ity that we have talked about persists in the new sea paintings I'm working
on. When the exhibition in the museum was organized I already was doing
the sea landscapes. Paradoxically I have always lived near the sea and I had
not fully included it in my iconography. Now there is a dark cloud over the sea
that leaves a line of light on the horizon. The same horizon that I had taken to
the landscapes seen from the road side, now return to the sea and that is the
focus of my new production.There is something sublime in the contempla-
tion of the sea that has to do with beauty; and beauty is related to kindness,
stability, with balance, but at the same time that vision produces a sort of
anxiety because it is endless, disturbing. The sea that I am painting now open
the vastness and a boat replaces the house. The ship is the symbolic ship
throughout history: the boat of the dead, the eternal return, the last trip, and so
on. The beauty of this image contains the desire to simultaneously appear and
disappear, but anything that you see in the picture is what it is.
Jos Basso lives and works in Via del Mar. 1975: Painting Award on the II
International Biennial of Valparaso. 1983: XVII Biennial of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
1992: Chile Today. 1994: Hara Museum, Tokio, Japan. 2005: Art Miami. 2011:
Ch.ACO, Santiago, Chile.
Resplandor en la noche, 2012, leo sobre tela, 51 x 61 cm.
www.franciscalohmann.cl
Fotograas 2011 Pinturas casa Sarmiento 212
Francisca Lohmann
www.arteallimite.com/franciscalohmann
Exposiciones | Chile - Puerto Rico - Paris - Normandia - Shangai - Maimi - Nueva York - Buenos Aires
EspAcio drAmtico y vrtigo |
DRAMAtIC SPACE AnD vERtIGo
Sus obras se conforman en volmenes slidos con planos
diversos, diagonales y piezas articuladoras. A travs de
esas formas cuasi-abstraccin el escultor construye un
puente entre la historia de los porteos que inmigraron a
Argentina en un barco y el pblico de su obra.
His Works are made from solid volumes of different levels,
diagonals and articulating pieces. Through these almost
abstract forms the sculptor builds a bridge between the
history of the people of Buenos Aires who immigrated to
Argentina on a boat and the audience of his work.
Alberto Bastn Daz
Por Julio Sapollnik, crtico de arte (Argentina)
Fotografas cortesa de Bastn Daz
Argentina | Argentina
Escultura | Sculpture
82 . 83
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t the Botanical Gardens of Buenos Aires, amongst all the shapes of
nature, a sculpture of Alberto Bastn Daz (Argentina, 1946), stands
out. Although I found it was small in relationship to the exuberance of
nature, the form showed a purity which differentiated it from its surround-
ing. Memory took me to another moment: the Paseo de las Esculturas, where
Bastn Daz exhibited more than thirty pieces during a few months in
2010. There I found that the curves and edges of the sculptures were sensual
next to the rough bark of the trees and the threatening branches at the top.
And I asked myself: why is it that a form created by an artist reaches its big-
gest potential before the fullness of nature?
My works are not related to nature, I would almost dare say that once
they are placed in an urban space they oppose to nature the sculptor
told me when I asked him in person. My work has to do with a human
record, because it is a construction of the human being. Some theo-
rists wrote that my work is linked to abstraction. It is not abstract, it is
relatively abstract. For example, many of them have hinges and that is an
intervention of the human being. The hinge is related to my forms; in my
sculptures it is a cultural stadium of daily life, it represents both what it
opens as well as what it closes.
Saying, for example, that artist was a hinge in the history of art, is
highlighting his importance. It is the person who focused our view to
a new direction.
Yes, but it also talks about how he had to adapt to the frame. In that
adaptation, there is the struggle of immigrants, for example, when they got
off the boats. My work is related to how diffcult it was for them to adapt to
a new territory. There, just like the hinge, one must adapt to the form. What
interests me about the work is the dramatic space with which the form is
presented and the vertigo which the material produces. What I look for is
that those two instances provoke a refection in the mind of the observer.
Your work placed in an urban space calls ones attention because it
refers to boats in a city that grows with its back towards the Rio de
la Plata.
I have been a porteo for several generations and when I was a child I
lived near the river. I work with these memories designing very synthesized
pieces. I take them apart, I atomize them, then I put the pieces together with
hinges and I achieve the fnal form when it supports and consolidates itself.
You talk about the support and consolidation when the idea of a
boat is that it moves all the time.
A ship is a nomad element that does not reside in one place. Almost ffty
percent of Argentinean population descended from the boats. That is why
we have a nomad head; we are prepared to be the best in any country in the
world, except in Argentina! That is why the support that I design in my
n el Jardn Botnico de Buenos Aires, entre todas las formas de la
naturaleza, destaca una escultura de Alberto Bastn Daz (Argentina,
1946). La percib pequea en relacin la exuberancia de la vegetacin, pero
la forma entregaba una pureza que la diferenciaba del entorno. La memoria
me llev a otro momento: el Paseo de las Esculturas, donde Bastn Daz ex-
puso ms de treinta obras durante algunos meses en 2010. All encontr que
las curvas y las aristas de las esculturas eran sensuales al lado de la spera
corteza de los rboles y de las amenazantes ramas en punta. Y me pregunt:
Por qu una forma creada por un artista alcanza su mayor potencia ante la
plenitud de la naturaleza?
"Mi obra no se vincula con la naturaleza, casi dira que una vez colocadas
en el espacio urbano se oponen a la naturaleza" me dijo el escultor cuando
se lo pregunt personalmente. "Mi trabajo tiene que ver con un registro
humano, porque es una construccin del ser humano. Algunos tericos
escribieron que mi obra est vinculada a la abstraccin. No es abstracta, es
relativamente abstracta. Por ejemplo, muchas de ellas tienen bisagra y sta
es una invencin del ser humano. La bisagra vincula mis formas; en mis
esculturas es un estadio cultural de la vida cotidiana, representa tanto a lo
que abre como a lo que cierra".
Decir por ejemplo, ese artista fue una bisagra en la historia del
arte, es destacar su importancia. Es la persona que orient a la mira-
da en una nueva direccin.
S, pero tambin nos habla de cmo se debi adaptar a un marco. En esa
adaptacin est la lucha de los inmigrantes, por ejemplo, cuando bajaron de
los barcos. Mi trabajo tiene que ver con lo que a ellos les cost adaptarse a un
nuevo territorio. Ah, al igual que en una bisagra, se debe uno acomodar a la
forma. A m lo que me interesa en la obra es el espacio dramtico con que se
presenta la forma y el vrtigo que produce el material. Busco que estas dos
instancias provoquen una refexin en la mente del contemplador.
Tu obra emplazada en el espacio urbano llama la atencin por-
que alude a barcas en una ciudad que crece de espaldas al Ro de
la Plata.
Yo soy porteo desde hace varias generaciones y de chico viva
cerca del ro. Trabajo con esos recuerdos diseando cascos muy sinte-
tizados. Los desarmo, los atomizo, despus uno las partes con bisagra
y alcanzo la forma fnal cuando se apoya y consolida.
Hablas de apoyo y consolidacin cuando la idea de un barco es
que se mueve todo el tiempo.
El barco es un elemento nmade que no reside en un lugar. Casi el cin-
cuenta por ciento de la poblacin argentina descendi de los barcos. Por eso
tenemos una cabeza nmade, estamos preparados para ser los mejores en
cualquier pas del mundo, menos en Argentina! Por eso en mi escultura
e a
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sculpture is important, because my desire is that people do not leave again,
that they support each other; that they settle down in this territory.
When we think of a boat or a ship, we also imagine its interior
space, but in your work that interior is forbidden, it has no repre-
sentation.
The interior space in my work does not exist because what im-
pressed me when I was little was a gigantic and enormous shell.
When I create a work I sketch it frst in a work of approximately 60
cms. For many people that work is fnished, but for me it has just be-
gan. It is the beginning of a path that takes me to the dramatic space.
Then I move to a work of 1,20 mt. and only from there I get to a larger
size from 1,80 mt. on.
In our conversation you used the word vertigo. How would
you defne it?
Vertigo is provoked by all the tradition that sculpture has in culture. It
refers to the historical projection that the image generates as well as every-
thing that could happen in the work. If it is going to fall, is it is going to fall
on you or not? Egyptian columns, a gothic cathedral or a work of Richard
Serra, all provoke vertigo.
From this conceptual foundation, in which way does the great
technical category that you possess bond?
I became a technical metal smith. At times, I fnd it strange that I can
design both the back of a medal as well as a megalithic size sculpture.
During the last few years I have been working with Corten steel, made
with a chemical alloy whose oxidation protects the piece from environ-
mental corrosion because it possesses copper, without practically
losing any of its mechanical properties. Artists such as Eduardo Chillida,
Josep Plandiura or Richard Serra use it.Because my work is related to
boats, in its contemplation there is the association of the tarnishing to
the transformation that comes from the water. I work with metal from the
perspective of engineering. I know how much I can push so that it does
not fail me.
Do you conceive your work based on the solidity of its support?
Until a few years ago I would deliver the small pieces without a base
and the buyer would place them on a table. I realized that people like to
think that the work can be moved around, so they change the support
giving it a new format.
In a certain way the work is fnished by the public.
Exactly. But in order to avoid changing the sense and that the work
adopts another posture, I learnt from Henry Moore that the small pieces
also need a plinth.
es importante el apoyo que diseo, porque mi deseo es que la gente no se
vuelva a ir, se apoye, se afnque en este territorio.
Cuando nos fguramos un bote o un buque imaginamos tambin
su espacio interior, pero en tu obra ese interior est vedado, no
tiene representacin.
El espacio interior en mi obra no existe porque a m lo que me impresio-
naba de chico era una cscara gigante y enorme. Cuando hago una obra
primero la boceto en un trabajo de aproximadamente 60 cm. Para muchas
personas esa obra est terminada, pero para m recin est comenzada.
Es el inicio de un camino que me conduce al espacio dramtico. Despus
paso a una obra de 1,20 m para recin desde all alcanzar el tamao mayor,
a partir de 1,80 m.
En nuestra conversacin usaste la palabra vrtigo. Cmo
la defniras?
El vrtigo lo provoca toda la tradicin que tiene la escultura en la cul-
tura. Se abre tanto a la proyeccin histrica que genera la imagen como
a todo lo que puede ocurrir con la obra. Si se va a caer, si se te viene
encima o no. Vrtigo tienen las columnas egipcias, una catedral gtica o
una obra de Richard Serra.
A partir de este fundamento conceptual, cmo se une en tu obra
la gran categora tcnica que posees?
Me form como tcnico orfebre. Por momentos me resulta raro
que pueda disear tanto el reverso de una medalla como una es-
cultura megaltica. En los ltimos aos estoy trabajando con acero
corten realizado con una composicin qumica que hace que su
oxidacin proteja la pieza frente a la corrosin atmosfrica porque
posee cobre, sin perder prcticamente sus propiedades mecnicas.
Artistas como Eduardo Chillida, Josep Plandiura o Richard Serra lo
utilizan.Como mi obra se relaciona con barcos, en la contemplacin
queda asociada la patina a la transformacin que proviene del agua.
Trabajo el metal desde la ingeniera. S hasta donde rinde para que
no me falle el material.
Concibes la obra desde la solidez de su asentamiento?
Hasta hace algunos aos yo entregaba las piezas chicas sin base y el
comprador las apoyaban sobre una mesa. Me di cuenta de que a la gente
le gusta pensar que la obra se puede mover, por lo que cambian el apoyo
dndoles un nuevo formato.
De alguna manera la obra la termina el pblico.
Exactamente. Pero para evitar el cambio de sentido y que la obra tome
otra postura, aprend de Henry Moore que a las piezas chicas tambin les
corresponde un plinto.

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Carmen Anzano
dEshilAndo A lA ArtistA |
unthREADInG thE ARtISt
From her multidisciplinary approach Anzano talks about
her work always swinging, half way through, between
painting and sculpture-, she also talks about the artists
who have enlightened her creative path and about the
exhibitions that she is preparing for next year.
Desde su enfoque multidisciplinar Anzano habla de
su obra siempre basculando a medio camino entre
la pintura y la escultura, de los artistas que le han
iluminado el camino creativo y de las exposiciones que
prepara para el prximo ao.
Por Aina Mercader, crtica de arte (Espaa)
Fotografas cortesa de Carmen Anzano
armen Anzanoss work (Spain, 1960) is the exact balance between
sculptural presence and pictorial structure. On occasions, a frame-
work of ribbons that become colourist strokes on canvas and, on others,
the painting is lost under a surface of threads in tension, giving the
piece a three-dimensional quality. Thus, her multidisciplinary aesthetic
proposal covers a fxation for the play with forms. Just as she explains
it with her own words, I express myself through painting, although,
because of my own interest in not just sticking to the bi-dimensional
support of the canvas, I have worked on the form as a volume, as a solid
body. In the 90s I made a series of volumetrical pieces that I called
Cuerpos. They were wooden structures covered by fabric and painted;
they were monochromatic and stood out of the wall. Those volumes ac-
quired a strong visual presence as an object-work between the bound-
ary of painting-sculpture.
Then, the artist reaffrms herself in this duality of painting-sculpture that
she strengthens in every step. In this multidisciplinary game, the proposal
a obra de Carmen Anzano (Espaa, 1960) es un equilibrio preciso
entre la presencia escultrica y la estructura pictrica. En ocasiones,
un entramado de cintas se convierten en pinceladas coloristas sobre
el lienzo y, en otras, la pintura se pierde bajo una superfcie de hilos en
tensin, dotando de tridimensionalidad a la pieza. As pues, su propuesta
esttica multidisciplinar reviste una fjacin por el juego de las formas.
Tal y como explica en sus propias palabras, me expreso a travs de la
pintura, aunque, por mi propia inquietud en no quedarme slo con el so-
porte bidimensional de la tela, he trabajado la forma como volumen, como
cuerpo slido. En los 90 realic series de piezas volumtricas a las que
denomin Cuerpos. Consistan en estructuras de madera forradas de tela
y pintadas, monocromticas y sobresaliendo de la pared. Esos volmenes
adquiran una fuerte presencia visual como obra objeto entre el lmite
pintura-escultura.
De este modo la artista se reafrma en esa dualidad pintura-escultura
que potencia en cada paso. En este juego multidisciplinar destacan las
l c
Espaa | Spain
Artista multidisciplinaria | Multidisciplinary Artist
88 . 89
"tejido vital Iv", 2010, 150 x150 cm. , cintas, acrlico y metal.
propuestas de Tejer el aire, una serie de instalaciones que van tomando
forma a partir de hilos en tensin, que naci en el ao 2004 con una ex-
posicin en Madrid, y que todava sigue latente en su obra a da de hoy.
Tejer es una metfora de querer ver el mundo a travs de las formas y
de los hilos que teje el universo, comenta la artista. De esta idea sur-
gieron obras vinculadas a la forma y al tejido. Obras como Tejer la forma
y la instalacin Tejer el cuerpo, y tejiendo el aire (2007-10) defnen muy
bien lo que fue entonces mi trabajo, pero tambin es vigente actual-
mente. De hecho, contina implicada en la propuesta de Tejer el aire
y lo hace con una serie de pantallas entramadas a partir del hilo, de la
fbra de camo que va formando unas maraas pretendiendo no slo
abrazar el espacio ni extenderse en el tiempo, sino algo tan imposible
como tejer el aire, y en esa imposibilidad est el deseo de retenerlo. En
ese entramando de tela, madera y cuerdas tensadas, reverberan las pro-
puestas conceptuales de esculturas, pinturas e instalaciones de artistas
como Jean Arp, Stella, Anish Kapoor o Christo.
La artista explica que su obra nace de su entorno ms cercano, tanto en
la visin de un paisaje ideal como en las estructuras y tramas urbanas.
Refejo e interpreto una iconografa de nuestra sociedad contempornea
y compleja, donde las formas geomtricas, las tramas, las redes sociales,
los espacios reales y fcticios se superponen y a su vez crean espacios
virtuales, pticos, falsos, ocultos de infnitos enlaces y tejidos super-
puestos. Y sobre su proceso creativo, en que conforma esas realidades
hiladas precisas, explica que la suya es una obra que evoca una esttica
actual fltrada a travs de mi propia experiencia plstica, que es la que
me inspira y me da respuestas para seguir desarrollando nuevas obras
que se confguran y se construyen desde el control, pero a la vez del dejar
fuir, permitiendo que acte el azar como en la propia dinmica de la
vida. Puedo partir del azar para ms tarde controlar, o a la inversa.
La forma como inspiracin primera
En el proceso de produccin de Carmen Anzano la forma es la gne-
sis. La forma orgnica, la geomtrica y cmo estas se interrelacionan,
se metamorfosean dando origen a otras nuevas formas, que a su vez
generan infnitas formas: slidas, llenas, vacas, etreas, lineales, tejidas,
envolventes, puntualiza la artista. Estas composiciones toman sentido
in Tejer el aire stands out, a series of installations that takes its form from
from the tightness of the threads, which was conceived the year 2004
with an exhibition in Madrid, and that it is still latent in her work today.
Knitting is a metaphor for wanting to see the world through forms and
the threads that the universe knits, she says. From that idea, works
linked to the form and the knit were created. Works like Tejer la forma
and the installation Tejer el cuerpo, y tejiendo el aire (2007-2010) defne
very well what my work was like then, but that today is still current. In
fact, she is still involved in the proposal Tejer el aire and she does this
with a series of screens entangled with thread, with hemp rope that goes
around getting tangled pretending not just to embrace the space nor to
extend in time, but rather something that is so impossible like knitting
in the air, and it is in that impossibility where we fnd the desire to retain
it. In that entanglement of fabric, wood and tight ropes, are refected the
conceptual proposals, of structure, paintings and artist installations of art-
ist like Jean Arp, Stella, Anish Kapoor or Christo.
The artist explains that her work is born from her closest environment,
as much from the vision of an ideal landscape as well as in structures and
urban knits. I refect and interpret an iconography of our complex and
contemporary society, where geometrical forms, plots, social networks, real
and fctional spaces superimpose one another and at the same time create
spaces that are virtual, optical, false, hidden from endless links and superim-
posed knits. And about her creative process, which is made of those exact
threaded realities, she explains that her work is one that evokes a current
aesthetic fltered through my own plastic experience that is the one that
inspires me and gives me the answers to continue developing new works
which are confgured and build around control, but at the same time that
they stop fowing, allowing chance to act in the dynamic that is proper to
life. I can start with chance to later have control or the other way round.
Form as main inspiration
In Carmen Anzanos production process, form is the genesis. The organic
form, the geometrical one and the way these interrelate, they metamor-
phose giving origin to new forms, that at the same time generate endless
forms: solid, full, empty, ethereal, lineal, woven, enveloping, the artist
points out. These compositions make sense with work which is accom-
tejido vital v, 2010, acrlico, cintas, metal, 150 x 150 cm..
con un trabajo cmplice con los juegos de luz y aire y con el uso de
diversos elementos en la creacin. Experimento con materiales senci-
llos, ligeros, cotidianos, para crear obras livianas pero a la vez slidas.
Me muevo en el terreno de los opuestos; lleno-vaco, hueco-materia,
rgido-blando, luz-sombra. Adems, el papel de la luz sobre las piezas
y el aire que queda entre los lmites de cada material juega un papel
importante en su trabajo creativo: ver cmo la luz incide en la super-
ficie de la obras o en determinados ngulos y biselados, as como en
las diversas texturas del tejido, es fundamental ya que sta hace que
la obra vibre cromticamente. En las instalaciones la luz-sombra es la
que duplica y proyecta los elementos en el espacio, expandindolos a
travs del fluir del aire, el cual es vital para que la obra se desarrolle y
se dimensione.
Anzano construye un universo creativo basado en ese catlogo de opues-
tos y de dualidades formales, pero sus piezas, adems, se plantean y
crecen en un taller compartido con el pintor y escultor Martn Carral. Con
el artista, que propone un universo geomtrico perfecto, ha presentado
diversas exposiciones conjuntas, pero consiguen que sus identidades
creativas se mantengan intactas. Cada uno de nosotros tiene su propio
discurso plstico. Es cierto que compartimos el mismo taller, pero somos
conscientes de que nuestra relacin ha de partir de un dilogo constan-
te, de una comunicacin basada en el respeto del uno hacia el otro y de
saber dnde estn los lmites para no traspasarlos. Ambos creadores
nunca han trabajado a cuatro manos sobre una misma pieza pero no des-
cartan colaboraciones futuras: no hay obra que no contenga la mirada
del otro, una mirada crtica que siempre nos ha sido til para activarnos
creativamente. En estos momentos trabajamos individualmente, pero a
veces nos gusta hacer proyectos expositivos conjuntamente, en paralelo,
para ver cmo se interrelacionan nuestra obras y cmo conviven en un
mismo espacio.
En esta lnea, precisamente, ambos se han propuesto exponer conjun-
tamente el prximo ao en el Espai Volart de la Fundacin Vila Casas
de Barcelona y en el Museo Wrth, de la Rioja. La artista explica cmo:
cada uno expresar su propio discurso plstico, entendido como una
experiencia del dilogo, de encuentros de dos personalidades, de dos
formas de sentir y de habitar en un nico espacio.
plice with the play of light and air and with the use of diverse elements
of creation. I experiment with simple materials, light and common, to
create light pieces of work but that are at the same time solid. I move
around in the area of the opposites; full-empty, hollow-solid, rigid-soft,
light-shadow she explains. Also the role of light over the pieces and
the air that remains between the boundaries of each material plays an
important role in her creative work: To see how the light shines on
the surface of the works or in determined angles and bevels, like in the
diverse textures of the knot, is fundamental since the light makes the
work vibrate chromatically. In the installations the light-shadow is what
duplicates and projects the elements in space, expanding them through
the fowing of air, something vital for the work for it to develop properly
and be dimensioned.
Anzano builds a creative universe based on that catalogue of opposites
and of formal dualities, but her pieces are also, proposed and developed
in the workshop she shares with the painter and sculpture artist Martin
Carral. With him, who proposes a perfect geometrical universe, she has
presented several joint exhibitions, but they achieve keeping their cre-
ative identities intact. Each one of us has a plastic discourse of their
own, she comments Its true that we share the same workshop, but
we are conscious of the fact the our relationship is based on a constant
dialogue, on communication founded on mutual respect and of know-
ing where the limits are so that we dont trespass them. Both creators
have never worked together in one common piece but they dont rule
out future collaboration: there is no work that does not contain the look
of the other, a critical view that has always been useful for activating
us creatively. At this moment we are working individually, but some-
times, we like to do joint exhibition projects, in parallel, to see the way
that our works interrelate with each other, how they coexist under the
same space.
Precisely along that line, they have both proposed exhibiting together
next year, 2013, at the Espai Volart of the Fundacion Vila Casas, of
Barcelona and at the Museo Wurth, of la Rioja. The artist explains how:
Each one will express their own plastic discourse, understood as an
experience of dialogue, of encounter of two personalities, of two ways
of feeling and of inhabiting the same space.
"Celosa I", 2012, 200 x 200 cm. , tejido de cintas y piezas metlicas.
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gb agency larls [ 6e||nk ^msterdam [ 6erhardsen 6erner Berlln [ 6|adstene New Ycrk [ 6murzynska Zug [ 6enz|ez Madrld [ Mar|an 6eedman New Ycrk [
6eedman 6a||ery 1channesburg [ 6rass||n Frankfurt am Maln [ R|chard 6ray Chloagc [ 6reene Nafta|| New Ycrk [ greengrass| Lcndcn [ 6reve St. Mcrltz [
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Lambert larls [ Landau Mcntreal [ Leav|n Lcs ^ngeles [ Lee Lcndcn [ Lehmann Dresden [ Lehmann Mau|n New Ycrk [ Le|eng larls [ L|nder Basel [
L|ssen Lcndcn [ Lehr| Mcnohengladbaoh [ Leng March Beljlng [ Luhr|ng August|ne New Ycrk [ M [ m Bechum Bcohum [ Maass Berlln [ Maccarene New Ycrk [
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Nerdenhake Berlln [ Nethe|fer Berlln [ 0 [ 0bad|a larls [ 0MR Mxloc D.F. [ P [ Pace New Ycrk [ Pau|| Lausanne [ Pav|et larls [ Perret|n larls [ Petze| New Ycrk [
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Art Un||m|ted [ Art Parceurs [ Art F||m [ Art Base| Cenversat|ens [ Art 5a|en [ Art Magaz|nes
Cata|eg erder [ Tel. +1 212 627 1999, www.artbcck.ocm
Vern|ssage [ 1une 13, 2012 [ By |nv|tat|en en|y
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Tel. +1 212 627 1654, Fax +1 212 627 0654
uscffoeartbasel.ocm, www.artbasel.ocm
ab
ktl118te|11-1Ile1t
A43B_AAL_250x280.indd 1 05/04/12 12:41
Aleksandra Mir
un ArtE colAborAtivo dEsdE El imAginArio
cotidiAno | CoLLABoRAtIvE ARt FRoM thE
IMAGInARY oF thE EvERYDAY
The work of this transnational artist winds between
different projects and countries touching on subjects
such as community, technology and communication
in order to create a reflexive corpus of art around our
increasingly global society.
La obra de esta artista transnacional serpentea entre
distintos proyectos y pases, abordando temas como la
comunidad, la tecnologa y la comunicacin, para crear
un corpus reflexivo de entorno a nuestra cada vez ms
global sociedad.
Por Paola Mosso, periodista
Fotografas cortesa de Aleksandra Mir
giant umbrella walking around the cities. Postcards of the most
beautiful rivers in the world scattered around Venice. Hollywood
disaster movies screened to the unemployed. Fanzines containing
the life story of a punk that, after doing military service, becomes a
security guard at an art school. Novel streets names like Exile on
Main Street given to Tokyo. Even a campaign to return to London,
a majestic sculpture of Freddie Mercury for one year from its exile in
Montreux. The least that can be said of the work of Aleksandra Mir
(1967), a polish-born artist, who has a dual Swedish-American citizen-
ship and has worked and lived in places like Mexico City, Palermo
and London, is that it is heterogeneous, social and collaborative. Her
projects are usually interactive and outline her interests in technology,
religion, communications and space using reflexive arguments about
social representation in the world of today, with a particular emphasis
on globalization. Aleksandra constructs her work with the imaginary of
the everyday, translating it to projects, performances and publications.
She has participated in countless exhibitions and collective and individual
projects in renowned museums, galleries and independent spaces such as
the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, Mary
Boone Gallery (New York) and Localismos (Mexico City). She has also taken
part in La Biennale di Venezia (2009) and the Whitney Biennale (2004), and
her work are in important public collections such as at the Tate Mod-
ern (London) and Kunsthaus (Zurich). Currently, her work , her work is
n paraguas gigantes recorriendo la ciudad. Postales de los afuentes
de agua ms hermosos del mundo repartidas por Venecia. Pelculas
de Hollywood sobre desastres exhibidas para los cesantes. Fanzines con
fotografas de un punk que, luego de pasar por la milicia, se convirti en
guardia de seguridad de una Escuela de Arte. Nombres novelescos como
Exile on Main Street dados a las calles de Tokio. Incluso la campaa por
devolver, por un ao, una majestuosa escultura de Freddie Mercury a Lon-
dres, a un ao de su exilio en Montreux. Lo menos que se puede decir del
trabajo de Aleksandra Mir (1967) -artista nacida en Polonia con ciudadana
sueca y estadounidense, que ha vivido en lugares como Ciudad de Mxi-
co, Palermo y Londres-, es que es heterogneo, social y colaborativo. Sus
proyectos suelen ser interactivos y dibujan sus intereses en la tecnologa,
religin, medios de comunicacin y el espacio con argumentos refexivos
sobre la representacin social en el mundo actual, con particular nfasis en
la globalizacin. Aleksandra construye su obra desde el imaginario del da
a da, traducindolo a proyectos, performances y publicaciones.
Ha sido parte de numerosas exposiciones y proyectos colectivos e indivi-
duales en destacados museos, galeras y espacios independientes como
Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum (Nueva York),
Mary Boone Gallery (Nueva York) y Localismos (Ciudad de Mxico). Tam-
bin particip en La Biennale di Venezia (2009) y Whitney Biennial (2004),
y su trabajo ha sido incluido en importantes colecciones pblicas
como en Tate Modern (Londres) y Kunsthaus (Zrich). Actualmente,
u a
Mundo | World
Multimedia | Multimedia
96 . 97
"SALE", performance, Antarctica, 2005. Documentation: Collection of the artist.
su obra se presenta en ArtandPress, Martin-Gropius-Bau (Berlin) y
Print/Out en el Museum of Modern Art (New York). Tambin presen-
tar su proyecto Freddie on the Plinth en Wide Open School, The Ha-
yward Gallery (Londres), este verano.Aleksandra Mir recibi su BFA
en el School for Visual Arts (Nueva York, 1992) y entre 1994 y 1996
estudi antropologa cultural en el New School for Social Research
(Nueva York). Lo que an me conecta con la antropologa, de manera
formal, son probablemente mis mtodos de investigacin e involucra-
miento con el lugar, el trabajo en terreno, dice.
A veces tu obra se transforma en una especie de experimento
social como por ejemplo, The Big Umbrella-. Qu es lo que ms te
interesa, la relacin entre la sociedad y la pieza de arte, o el proceso
de creacin?, O ambas?
Mi obra no es de ninguna forma vanguardista. Puede que yo piense que
estoy reinventando la rueda, pero siempre ser algo experimental en el sen-
tido de que siempre me lleva a una nueva experiencia. Gasto mucho tiempo
y recursos preparando cada obra, pero el resultado esta siempre al alcance
de la mano. The Big Umbrella es una escultura hecha meticulosamente a
mano, de un paraguas muy grande que puede cobijar de la lluvia a una
gran cantidad de personas pero que tambin puede hacer que un porta-
dor solitario se vea muy slo. Lo us de utilera en una performance que
desarrollaba su propia narrativa a medida que recorra con l un nmero de
locaciones, desde el tropical Martinique al helado Dresden. La obra es pat-
tica, fue un fracaso en muchas maneras: no quera llover y las personas se
asustaban con l. As es que refeja el fracaso de crear una comunidad, las
fallas de la vida familiar y del turismo. An con las mejores y ms utpicas
de las intenciones, las cosas no siempre salen como planeadas y es algo de
lo que me gusta conversar o dejar espacio para ello.
Piensas que al referirte a elementos de la cultura pop, o ele-
mentos cotidianos paraguas, trofeos, retratos familiares-, tu obra
se acerca a una audiencia masiva, en contraposicin a las otras
formas de arte que son ms hermticas y abstractas?
Hago arte sobre cosas que estn disponibles y frente a m, y como tal,
asumo que tambin lo estn para otros. He hecho muchas obras sobre
peridicos y medios. Hay un linaje histrico de artistas que han usado
la prensa, pero mi punto de entrada es mucho ms prosaico que eso.
A mis 11 aos tena una ruta de distribucin de diario, mucho antes
de que supiera lo que el arte es. Conozco el peso y olor de un peridico
recin impreso entregado a las 5 de la maana. Comenc a hacer mis
propios boletines de noticias alrededor de esa poca, y en este proceso
aprend tcnicas simples de reproduccin y encuadernado, de fotografa
y periodismo. Tengo una relacin muy tctil con las cosas sobre las que
hago arte, no necesariamente una terica o histrica, aunque de alguna
manera, esas cosas siempre dan resultados retroactivamente.
exhibited at ArtandPress, Martin-Gropius-Bau (Berlin) and Print/Out
at the Museum of Modern Art (New York). She will also present her
project Freddie on the Plinth at the Wide Open School, The Hayward
Gallery (London) this summer.Aleksandra Mir recieved her BFA at the
School for Visual Arts (New York, 1992) and between 1994 and 1996,
she studied cultural anthropology at the New York School for Social
Research (New York). What still keeps me formally connected with
antropology, are probably my research methods and my involvement
with the place, the feld work, she says.
Sometimes your artwork becomes a sort of social experiment
like, for instance, The Big Umbrella (2004) What is your main
interest: the relationship between the society and the piece of
art, or the process of creation? Or both?
My work is not avant-garde in any way. I may be reinventing the
wheel as far as I know, but it is always experimental in the sense that
I am always taking myself through novel experience. I spend a lot of
time and resources preparing every work, but the outcome is always
up for grabs. The Big Umbrella is a meticulously hand crafted sculpture
of a very big umbrella that can shield a large number of people from
the rain, but it can also make a solitary bearer look very lonely. I used
it as a prop for a performance that spun its own narrative as I walked
around with it in a number of locations, from tropical Martinique to
chilly Dresden. The work is pathetic; it failed on so many levels: it
wouldnt rain and people would be scared of it. So it reflects the failure
of building a community, the failures of family life and of tourism.
Even with the best and utopian intentions, things dont always work
out as anticipated and it is something that I like to talk about and to
leave room for.
Do you think that by referring to pop culture elements, or
everyday elements umbrellas, trophies, family pictures, your
work gets closer to a mass audience, as opposed to other forms
of art that are more hermetic and abstract?
I make art about things that are available and in my face, and as
such, I assume they are to others. For example, I have made a lot of
works about newspapers and the media. There is a historical lineage
of artists who have used the press, but my entry point is much more
prosaic than that. I had a paper route when I was 11, long before I
knew what art even was. I know the weight and the smell of a freshly
printed newspaper batch at 5 in the morning. I started making my own
zines around that same time, and I learned simple reproduction and
binding techniques, photography and journalism in the process. I have
a tactile relation with the things that I make art about, not necessarily
a theoretical or historical one, although somehow those things always
fall into place retroactively.
"the Big umbrella" (Dresden), performance, 2004, c-print, 100 x 74 cm. , 2004: Galerie Laurent Godin, Paris.
En muchas de tus obras has tomado el camino del arte colabo-
rativo. Qu ganas como artista con este enfoque?, Diras que
esto viene de tus estudios en sociologa?
Encuentro que es muy aburrido estar sola con mi obra; es tan simple como
esto. As que yo dira que es ms social que sociolgico. Si no fuera desafna-
da, estara probablemente en una banda. Pero el arte visual es por naturaleza
ms solitario que la msica, as es que hago lo que puedo para estar menos
sola invitando a otros a participar en partes o si no trabajo en proyectos de
otras personas. Desarrollar un proyecto donde la autora se comparte de igual
manera es probablemente lo mas difcil pero puede ser un gran xito.
En tu obra, usas constantemente smbolos de poder, como tro-
feos, cohetes o imgenes catlicas o igualmente, el concepto de
victoria como en First Woman On the Moon (1999) . Qu es
lo que buscas, la refexin, la irona o la crtica de las estructuras
sociales que se generan alrededor del poder?
Son todas esas cosas. Crec en Suecia durante los aos 70 y pareca que
estbamos viviendo el momento ms radical y en el pas ms radical del
mundo. Si lo recuerdas, Suecia era el estado modelo. En l nos alimentaban
una extraa mezcla de crtica izquierdista con un consumismo creciente.
Las pelculas de Disney eran consideradas como propaganda capitalista y
solo las mostraban en navidad, lo que, por supuesto, aumentaba el deseo de
verlas. As es que para los aos 80 nos habamos saturado genuinamente de
estas contradicciones, representando una generacin aptica. Recuerdo a
mi profesora de secundaria llevando a un grupo de nosotros, adolescentes
indiferentes, al edifcio de la municipalidad local y dicindonos que todos de-
bamos ejercer nuestro poder democrtico para poder ver un registro pblico.
First Woman On The Moon lacnicamente reconoce el hecho de que
ninguna mujer ha estado en la luna y luego me da el poder como artista
de escenifcar la versin imaginaria y preguntarme, por qu no?, y
si fuera as? A veces, no me interesa mucho la poltica, dudo tener
algn tipo de infuencia, mientras que en otras ocasiones es emocio-
nante apuntar a cambiar un monolito. Al poner a una mujer en la luna
antes del fn del milenio, mi objetivo no era hacer historia del arte, sino
historia del mundo. Si buscas en Google First Woman on the Moon, hoy
en da aparece mi nombre, lo que es ridculo. Realmente me pregunto
quin ser. Apuesto a que ser una chica china.
Estar frente a la estatua es como si oyeras al pblico gritan-
do, dijiste sobre la estatua de Freddie Mercury de la escultora
realista socialista Irena Sedlecka. En tu obra Freddie on the Plinth
Cmo podemos comparar a las masas que estuvieron frente a es-
culturas anteriores de socialistas hechas por Irena y las que estn
frente a sta? Cmo podemos asociar a un icono del rock con un
cono del socialismo?
Cuando le pregunt a Irena si tena algn problema con representar a
In many of your works you have taken the path of collaborative
art. What do you gain as an artist by using this approach?
Would you say that it has its roots in your sociology studies?
I fnd it boring to be alone with my work; it is as simple as that.
So more social than sociological, I would say. If I werent tone deaf,
I would probably be in a band. But visual art is more solitary than
music by nature so I do what I can to make it less lonely by inviting
others to participate in parts or I work on other peoples projects in
turn.To develop work where authorship is equally shared is probably
the most difficult but can be very successful.
You constantly use symbols of power in your work, such as
trophies, rockets or catholic imagery or, similarly, the concept
of "victory" as in First Woman On The Moon (1999). Are you
looking for a reflection, irony or criticism of the social structures
generated around power?
It is all those things. I grew up in Sweden of the 70s, and it seemed
we were in the most radical moment and in the most radical country
on earth. Sweden was the model state if you remember. In it, we were
fed an odd mix of leftist critique with a blooming consumerism. Disney
movies were seen as capitalist propaganda and showed to us only at
Christmas, which of course only increased our thirst for them. So by
the 80s we had become genuinely saturated with these contradictions
and rendered an apathetic generation. I remember my high school
teacher dragging a bunch of us blas teenagers to our local city hall
and demanding that we all exercise our democratic power to ask to see
a public record. First Woman On The Moon laconically acknowledges
the fact that no woman has been to the moon, then grants me the
power as an artist to stage the imaginary version and to ask myself,
"Why not? And what if"? Sometimes I really cant be bothered with
politics, I doubt I have any influence at all, while in other cases it is a
thrill to aim at shifting a monolith. By putting a woman on the moon
before the end of the millennium, I was not aiming at art history, but
world history and JFK who put a man on the moon before the end of
the decade (the 60s). If you Google First Woman on the Moon, still to-
day, only my name comes up, which is ridiculous. I really wonder who
she will be. My bets are on a Chinese girl.
Facing the statue, it is as if you can hear the crowds
screaming, you said about socialist realist sculptor Irena
Sedleckas depiction of Freddie Mercury in your work Freddie on
the Plinth (2011-). How can we compare the masses that faced
previous sculptures of socialist heros made by Irena, and the
ones that face this one? How can we associate a rock icon with
a socialist icon?
When I asked Irena if she had any problems depicting Freddie Mer-
"Plane Landing in Switzerland", July 4-5, 2008. Event: Flughafen zurich; commissioned by Galerie Laurent Godin, Paris,
and Kunsthaus zurich, c-print 176 x 122 cm. , 2008: Galerie Laurent Godin, Paris.
Freddie Mercury en una pose victoriosa en el Wembley Stadium, pes-
tae y dijo que haba hecho tantos brazos alzados durante el periodo
socialista que desde el punto de vista escultrico eran todos iguales. Pero
sera demasiado fcil dejarlo as no ms. La obra de Irena ejemplifca no
slo una serie de gestos y posturas polticas, sino una narrativa, y la suya
es una increble historia de vida. He escrito sobre como ella se form bajo
una educacin clsica rigorosa y de cmo creci y madur como artista,
mujer, esposa y madre. El drama la sigue en su camino durante casi un
siglo de geografa europea, como si se moviera literalmente bajo sus pies.
Destacan las decisiones que toma voluntariamente y las que se ve obliga-
da a tomar para mantener a sus hijos y al mismo tiempo seguir haciendo
arte. Lo que hace este proyecto tan fascinante y a ella como persona
tan llamativa, es la gracia que tiene para manejar todos estos umbrales.
Siempre me he sentido atrada por las personas que demuestran este tipo
de complejidad y que estn dispuestas a compartirla con tanta claridad
de mente y sin vergenza.
La habilidad y talento que maneja Irena obviamente se ha perdido con
mi generacin, que madur en la era del conceptualismo, minimalismo y
ready-mades. Parece que incluso perdimos completamente la habilidad
de mirar y de juzgar la obra fgurativa. Quera dar un pequeo remezn a
nuestra inversin en el arte fgurativo proponiendo que ms personas vean
esta estatua y traerla desde Montreaux, donde fue enviada despes de
que Londres la rechazara. Al mismo tiempo, mi propio trabajo es acerca de
vacos, por lo que mientras ms tiempo permanezca ese espacio vaco en el
Zcalo de la plaza Trafalgar y mientras ms tiempo Freddie est en el exilio,
mientras esta historia circule, ms potentes se vuelven todos estos factores.
Se que estars exhibiendo en una exhibicin colectiva en la sala
Gasco en Santiago en la que Andrea Pacheco es la curadora. Po-
dras explicar que es lo que planeas exhibir en No es chiste?
El ao 2005 viaj a bordo de un barco cientfco que naveg de Ushuaia a
la Antrtica, regresando por la Patagonia y pasando por el Estrecho de Ma-
gallanes va Punta Arenas y hasta Buenos Aires, donde desembarqu.
La parte del viaje a la Antrtica fue una invitacin de Pierre Huyghe, quien
estaba flmando una pelcula muy ambiciosa en el barco y que generosamen-
te invit a algunos amigos artistas a acompaarlo sin ningn compromiso u
obligacin. Me entretuve haciendo gestos efmeros, como cuando me paro
encima de un pequeo iceberg que podra haberse dado vuelta en cualquier
momento. SALE (2005) es un tributo a las bolas de nieve de David Hammons
(el artista realiz una performance en 1983 donde venda bolas de nieve en
la calle con un precio de acuerdo a su tamao) actualizado, a escala global y
segn los temas medioambientales del momento. Fui totalmente ciega al pe-
ligro y arriesgu mi vida por hacer una tonta actuacin pero en ese momento
me pareci una buena idea y sirvi para rerse.
www.freddieontheplinth.co.uk/
cury in a victorious pose at Wembley Stadium, she blinked and said
that she had created so many raised arms in the socialist period that
from a sculptural point of view, they were the same. But it would be
too easy to leave it at that. Irenas work exemplifies not just a series
of (contradictory) political positions or gestures, but a narrative, and
hers is an incredible life story. I have written about how she was
formed under her rigorous classical training and how she matured
and aged an artist, woman, wife and mother. The drama follows her
journey through nearly a century of European geography, as it is liter-
ally shifting under her feet. It highlights the decisions she voluntarily
makes, and the ones she is forced to take to support her children
whilst keep making art. What makes the project so compelling and
her person so appealing is her grace in managing all these thresholds.
I am continuously drawn to people who display this kind of complex-
ity and who are willing to share it with such clearheaded logic and
without embarrassment.
The craft and talent that Irena is in command of is obviously lost on my
generation, which came of age in the era of conceptualism,
minimalism and ready-mades. It seems we have even lost the ability to
look at and to judge fgurative work altogether. I wanted to shake up our
investment in fgurative art a little by proposing for more people to see
this statue and bring it back from Montreux where it was sent after its
rejection in London. But, at the same time, my own work is about voids,
so the longer there is an empty space on that Plinth in Trafalgar Square
and the longer Freddie is in exile, while this story is being circulated,
the more potent all those factors become.
I noticed that you are exhibiting in a group show curated by
Andrea Pacheco at Sala Gasco in Santiago. Could you explain
what are you planning to exhibit in No es chiste (Its no joke)?
In 2005 I was on a scientific vessel for six weeks that sailed from
Ushuaia to Antarctica, back through Patagonia and the Strait of Ma-
gellan via Punta Arenas and up to Buenos Aires where I disembarked.
The Antarctica leg of the journey was by an invitation Pierre Huyghe,
who was shooting a very ambitious film on the boat and who gener-
ously invited a few artist friends to join him with no directives or
obligations. I entertained myself with small ephemeral gestures, one
where I stand on a small iceberg that could have flipped around at
any point. SALE (2005) is a nod to David Hammons snowball pieceb
(the artist made a performance in 1983, where he sold snowballs on
the street, priced according to size), updated, on a global scale and
according to current environmental concerns. I was oblivious to the
danger and risked my life for a silly performance but it seemed like a
good idea and made for a good laugh at the time.
www.freddieontheplinth.co.uk/
"First Woman on the Moon", August 28, 1999. Event: Wijk Aan zee, the netherlands; commissioned by Casco, utrecht, the netherlands.
video stills: Collection of the artist, Mary Boone Gallery, new York, Galerie Laurent Godin, Paris, Galeria Joan Prats, Barcelona.
106 . 107 China | China
Pintura | Painting
Yue Minjun
lAs risAs contAgiosAs |
thE ContAGIouS LAuGhtER
Laughter is contagious. The viewer imitates the gesture
of the laughing men that appears in the oils of Minjun.
We do it instinctively, without knowing the reason for the
laugh. If we disclose the reasons for the laughs ... will it
change our face?
La risa es contagiosa. El espectador imita el gesto
de los hombres riendo que aparecen en los leos de
Minjun. Lo hacemos de forma instintiva, sin conocer el
motivo de la carcajada. Si desvelamos los motivos de las
risas...cambiar nuestro semblante?
Por Pa Cordero. Master en teora e historia del Arte (Chile)
Fotografas cortesa de Cristin velasco
ue Minjun es internacionalmente conocido por la burlesca, tonta,
ostentosa risa provocada por sus autorretratos. Ha clonado y multi-
plicado su imagen hasta convertirla icono. Su alter ego se re de cualquier
situacin, incluso delante de un pelotn de fusilamiento.
Su risa supera la sensacin de impotencia que el hombre siente cuando
encara situaciones que parecen irresolubles en la vida real, y sugiere una
estrategia de supervivencia. Expresa el deseo de reducir los problemas,
tomar distancia sobre ellos y traerlos de vuelta a su transitoriedad. La
esencia espiritual del hombre necio, como el propio artista ha explicado
en repetidas ocasiones, deriva de la flosofa de Lao Zhuang y propone un
curso de accin para evitar entrar en conficto con la sociedad, mientras
se mantiene la paz interior. Utilizandose a s mismo, Yue Minjun retrata
la raza humana en toda su complejidad, razn por la cual se representa
siempre con diferentes ropas y en muchas situaciones distintas: como
fguras en la historia del arte, con las alas de un ngel o con los cuernos de
un diablo, vestido de mujer, mientras abraza a un famenco rosado o a un
pingino, con un hongo atmico detrs de l, mientras simula un disparo...
En el estudio de Yue Minjun, en Beijing, junto a las pinturas con los temas ms
famosos hay otros que son estilsticamente muy diferentes. Uno de ellos es un
conjunto de fguras recortadas de revistas. Recortes de peridicos se encuen-
tran dispersos en el suelo, al pie de la imagen.
Le pregunto cul es la relacin entre esta obra y las pinturas con los
hombres que ren.
Puedo usar diferentes estilos y temas, porque quiero que mi trabajo exprese
las contradicciones. China quiere deshacerse del modelo lgico, comn a la
China del pasado, as como a Occidente, segn el cual una vez que un estilo
o modo de expresin personal se ha encontrado, el artista tiene que repetir los
mismos patrones de por vida.
ue Minjun is internationally known for the mocking, foolish, osten-
tatious laughter of his self-portraits. He has cloned and multiplied
his image until making it an icon. His alter ego laughs at whatever the
situation is, even in front of a fring squad.
His laughter surpasses the sense of impotence that man feels in the face
of situations that appear unsolvable in real life, and suggests a strategy
for survival. It expresses the desire to scale down problems, distancing
oneself from them and bringing them back to their transitoriness. The
spiritual essence of the foolish man, as the artist himself has repeatedly
explained, derives from the philosophy of Lao Zhuang and puts forth a
course of action to avoid entering into confict with society, while main-
taining inner peace. Using himself, Yue Minjun portrays the human race
in all of its complexity, which is why he is always depicted in different in
clothes and in many different situations: as fgures in art history, with the
wings of an angel or with the horns of a devil, dressed as a woman, while
hugging a pink famingo or a penguin, with an atomic mushroom cloud
behind him, while pretending to shoot.
In Yue Minjuns studio, in Beijing, alongside the paintings with the most
famous subjects are others that are stylistically very different. One of these
is a large assemblage of fgures cut out from glossy magazines. Newspaper
cuttings are scattered on the foor, at the foot of the picture.
I ask him what the relationship is between this work and the
paintings with the laughing men.
I use different styles and subjects because I want my work to express
the contradictions. China wants to get rid of the logical model, common
to the China of the past as well as to the West, according to which once a
style or mode of self expression has been found, the artist has to repeat the
same patterns for life.
y
y
hats Series "the Lovers", 2005, leo sobre lienzo, 170 x 140 cm.
Pero, usted es principalmente conocido por sus
autorretratos?
Incluso desde la poca de los primeros retratos tambin he
estado experimentando con otros temas. Por lo general, los ar-
tistas dejan de trabajar en una serie de trabajos y luego pasan
a otros. Pero siempre he trabajado en varios frentes.
Despus de la secundaria, en 1980, trabaj en una
plataforma petrolfera en el Mar de Bohai. No pensa-
bas en ser un artista inicialmente?
En China en ese momento el artista tal y como lo cono-
cemos hoy en da no exista.Solo artistas que pintaban o
esculpan eran elegidos por el Estado, relacionados con los
cnones estticos preestablecidos. El Estado decidi qu tipo
de trabajo debera hacer un joven. Nadie contratara a un tipo
buscando trabajo sin la mediacin del gobierno. Siempre tuve
miedo de lo que podra ocurrir de un minuto a otro. Luego,
por suerte, me despidieron.
Alguna vez has considerado la posibilidad de traba-
jar como un artista con el Departamento de Estado?
No me habran permitido trabajar de manera creativa e
independiente en el Departamento de Estado. Y, adems, al
gobierno no le gustaba mi trabajo, tanto que he tenido proble-
mas para exhibirlas. Tenga en cuenta que en aquellos aos
haba que enviar fotos de las obras a una comisin antes de
exhibirlas. El deseo de ser un artista independiente me cre
ms problemas.
Qu tipo de problemas?
Por ejemplo, yo no podra alquilar un lugar para vivir.
But are you known mainly for your self portraits?
Ever since the time of the frst portraits Ive also been
experimenting with other subjects. Usually artists stop
working on one series of works and then move on to ano-
ther. But I've always worked on several fronts.
After high school, in 1980, you worked on an oil
rig in the Bohai Sea. Didnt you think about being an
artist initially?
In China at that time the artist as we know it today
didnt exist. The only artists painting or sculpting were
chosen by the state, linked to predetermined aesthetic
canons. The state decided what work a young man should
do. No one would hire a guy who was looking for work wi-
thout government mediation. I was always afraid of what
might happen from one minute to the next. Then, fortuna-
tely, I got fred. Luckily I was fred.
Have you ever considered the possibility of wor-
king as an artist with the State Department?
I wouldnt have been allowed to work creatively and
independently at the State Department. And besides, the
government disliked my works so much that I had pro-
blems exhibiting them. Consider that in those years you
had to submit photos of the works to a commission before
exhibiting. The desire to be an independent artist created
more problems for me.
What sort of problems?
For example, I couldnt rent a place to live.
"the Massacre at Chios", 1994, leo sobre lienzo, 250 x 360 cm. Bonn Art Museum-Reni hansen
Usted era parte del crculo artstico de Yuanmingyuan Artists Villa-
ge . Tienes ganas de hablar de esa experiencia?
A fnales de la dcada de 1980 algunos egresados de las escuelas de arte
renunciaron a su trabajo designado por el Estado y se establecieron en el rea
de Yuanmingyuan. En 1990, cada vez ms artistas, entre ellos Fang Lijun y
Ling Yi, se unieron a ellos y el rea se convirti en un lugar de reunin para los
artistas. En su apogeo haba alrededor de 300 artistas en la aldea. Me incorpo-
r en la primavera de 1991 y la abandon en 1994, cuando el grupo se disolvi.
Por qu decidi poner fn a esa experiencia?
Principalmente por dos razones: el registro censal y de la naturaleza po-
tencialmente subversiva del grupo. El sistema chino ofrece a los graduados
registrar su residencia y, si al fnal de los estudios no encuentran un puesto
de trabajo en el lugar donde recibieron el diploma tienen que regresar a sus
lugares de origen. Esto hizo que los artistas que componen el grupo Yuanmin-
gyuan se convirtieran en una suerte de residentes ilegales, que el Estado tena
difcultades para manejar. Adems, el gobierno los consideraba una amenaza
potencial. Despus de los acontecimientos de 1989, el gobierno pas a estar
ms alerta de lo que pensaba la gente y a sus ojos los artistas simbolizaban
algo inestable.
Esos mismos aos se observ la difusin del trmino "realismo cni-
co", que tambin se utiliz para defnir su trabajo. Ms de una vez, sin
embargo, dijo que esto no tena nada que ver con usted...
El primero en hablar de "realismo cnico" fue el crtico Xianting Li en 1992,
refrindose a una forma de entender el arte que se ha desarrollado desde
1989 principalmente en Beijing. Segn la propia defnicin de Xianting el
"realismo cnico", es la respuesta a la desesperacin de los artistas que creen
que es imposible reconstruir una identidad china nueva y reaccionaban a su
pesimismo con indiferencia, irona, sarcasmo y cinismo. Otra de sus caracte-
rsticas era oponerse a la modernidad. Usted no puede encontrar nada de eso
en mi trabajo. Soy crtico y escptico, que es muy diferente de ser indiferente,
sarcstico y cnico.
La tcnica que utiliza es la misma que la que usaban los artistas pop
de los aos sesenta: proyectar la imagen en el lienzo para ampliarla y
dibujar el contorno en negro. A continuacin, lo completa con colores
brillantes. Incluso la repeticin del mismo tema con variaciones es
tpico del pop, como el uso de una personalidad icnica.
Hasta mediados de los noventa desconoca el arte pop. Si estaba infuencia-
do por algo era por los carteles chinos y las tiras cmicas. Yo slo lo descubrira
ms tarde, despus de estudiar los artistas pop que haban pintado fguras
como Marilyn Monroe y Mao Zedong, y esto me confrm que me estaba mo-
viendo en la direccin correcta mediante la creacin de un nuevo dolo. Obvia-
mente esta fgura trasciende a s misma como sujeto. Pero no slo he pintado
eso. Ah est la serie de paisajes tomados de la historia del arte, desprovistos
de la presencia humana, o la serie de laberintos, que simbolizan la confusin
mental del hombre que re.
Qu artistas occidentales le han infuenciado ms?
Leonardo da Vinci y Miguel ngel, entre los artistas del pasado. Entre los
contemporneos, David Hockney.
Cree usted que el lenguaje del arte chino corre el riesgo de llegar
a ser como el del arte occidental? Cree que su arte tambin puede
correr este riesgo?
Este problema surge si nos fjamos en el arte desde una perspectiva occi-
dental o desde una perspectiva oriental. Pero esto puede ser una limitacin.
La mejor posicin es mantenerse en el centro y tomar algo de Oriente con la
mano izquierda y algo del Occidente con la derecha. No insistir demasiado
en las diferencias entre Oriente y Occidente nos ayudara a superar muchas
contradicciones y a eliminar un montn de problemas. Esto es lo que espero
que suceda en el futuro. Si esto sucediera encararamos los mismos problemas
todos juntos.
You were part of the artistic circle of the Yuanmingyuan Artists'
Village. Do you feel like talking about that experience?
At the end of the 1980s, some graduates from art schools gave up their
State designated work and established themselves in the Yuanmingyuan
area. In 1990, more and more artists, including Fang Lijun and Yi Ling,
joined them there and the area became a gathering place for artists. At its
height there were about 300 artists in the Village. I joined in the spring of
1991 and left in 1994, when the group disbanded.
Why was it decided to end that experience?
Mainly for two reasons: census registration and the potentially
subversive nature of the group. The Chinese system provides for
graduates to register their residence and, if at the end of the studies,
they dont fnd a job in the place where they received the diploma,
they have to return to their hometowns. This made the artists making
up the group of the Yuanmingyuan sort of illegal residents, which the
State had diffculty managing. Furthermore, the government conside-
red them a potential threat. After the events of 1989, the government
became well aware of what people think and artists symbolize insta-
bility in its eyes.
Those same years saw the spread of the term "cynical realism",
which was also used to defne your work. More than once, howe-
ver, you said this had nothing to do with you...
The frst to speak of cynical realism was the critic Li Xianting, in
1992, referring to a way of understanding art that has developed since
1989, mainly in Beijing. According Xiantings own defnition, cynical
realism is the answer to the despair of artists who believe it is impossi-
ble to reconstruct a new Chinese identity and react to their pessimism
with indifference, irony, sarcasm and cynicism. Another one of its
characteristics was to oppose Modernism. You cant fnd any of that in
my work. Im critical and skeptical, which is very different from being
indifferent, sarcastic and cynical.
The technique you use is the same as the pop artists of the six-
ties: you project the image on the canvas to enlarge it and trace it
in black. Then you complete it with bright colors. Even the repeti-
tion of the same subject with variations is typical of Pop, as is the
use of an iconic personality.
Until the mid-nineties I was ignorant about Pop Art. If anything
I was infuenced by Chinese posters and comic strips. I only disco-
vered it later after studying pop artists who had painted fgures like
Marilyn Monroe and Mao Zedong, and this confrmed to me that I
was moving in the right direction by creating a new idol. Obviously
this fgure transcends myself as a subject. But I havent only painted
that. Theres the series of landscapes taken from art history, devoid of
human presence, or the series of mazes, which symbolize the mental
confusion of the laughing man.
Which western artists have infuenced you the most?
Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, among artists from the past.
Among the contemporaries, David Hockney.
Do you think the language of Chinese art runs the risk of beco-
ming like that of Western art? Do you think your art might also run
this risk?
This problem arises if you look at art from a Western perspective or from
an Eastern perspective. But this can be a limitation. The best position is
to stay in the middle and take something from the East with the left hand
and from the West with the right. Not insisting too much on the differences
between East and West would help us to overcome many contradictions
and eliminate a lot of problems. This is what I hope will happen in the
future. If this were really to happen wed fnd ourselves facing the same
problems all together.
"Sin ttulo", 2005, leo sobre lienzo, 200 x 220 cm.
Se burla del arte occidental?
Mi trabajo es una crtica que no se limita al lugar don-
de vivo. Inevitablemente, mi anlisis tambin incluye el
sistema occidental y algunos de sus supuestos, como la
democracia y el liberalismo. Me burlo de estas nociones,
no del arte.
La obra del artista se basa en el lenguaje, forma
y contenido. Qu tipo de equilibrio entre estos
elementos es lo que busca en su trabajo?
En mis creaciones el contenido tiene prioridad sobre
todas las cosas. Es lo ms importante. Tomemos por
ejemplo las pinturas ms recientes, que muestran rostros
desfgurados.
Parecen pinturas cubistas, bajo la infuencia de
Picasso
Pero no lo son. Los he hecho observando las hojas de
papel arrancadas de revistas que he usado para la limpie-
za de los pinceles. En cuanto a las distorsiones y defor-
maciones provocadas por el papel arrugado, pens que
eran buenas representaciones de la actual mentalidad del
pueblo chino. En un nivel simblico, esta representacin
muestra al hombre como un objeto de consumo, como
algo que se puede tirar cuando ya no es productivo.
Alguna vez has pensado en ir a vivir en el Oeste?
No, nunca he pensado en ello, porque hay muchas
preguntas por resolver aqu. Esta no es la hora de
irse. La vida es ms fcil en Occidente, pero no es tan
interesante.
Do you make fun of western art?
My work is a critique that isnt limited to the place I
live. Inevitably, my analysis also involves the Western sys-
tem and some of its assumptions, such as democracy and
liberalism. I make fun of these notions, not of the art.
The work of the artist is based on language, form
and content. What kind of balance between these
elements do you look for in your work?
In my creations, content takes precedence over
everything. Its the most important thing. Take for exam-
ple the most recent paintings, which show distorted
faces.
They look like cubist paintings, infuenced by
Picasso...
But they arent. I made them by observing the sheets
of paper torn from magazines that I used for cleaning the
paint brushes. Looking at the distortions and deforma-
tions caused by the crumpled paper, I thought they were
good representations of the current mindset of the Chine-
se people. On a symbolic level, this representation shows
man as an object of consumption, as something that can
be thrown away when no longer productive.
Have you ever thought about going to live in the
West?
No, Ive never thought about it because there are too
many questions to be resolved here. This isnt the time to
leave. Life is easier in the West, but its not as interesting.
"Big Swans", 2003, leo sobre lienzo, 280 x 200 cm.
"Sunflowers", 2003, leo sobre lienzo, 140 x 140 cm.

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Main Sponsor since 1997: E. GUTZWILLER & CIE, BANQUIERS, Basel
June 1217, 2012
Opening Reception: Monday June 11, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Open Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Burgweg 15,
CH 4058 Basel, T +41 61 692 20 21, info@liste.ch, www.liste.ch, a project in the workshop community Warteck pp
64 GALLERIES FROM 22 COUNTRIES new at LISTE*
Austria: Andreas Huber, Vienna. Emanuel Layr, Vienna Belgium: Dpendance, Brussels. Office Baroque, Antwerp. Elisa Platteau, Brussels China: *2P, Hong Kong.
Platform China, Beijing Denmark: *Christian Andersen, Copenhagen France: Bugada & Cargnel, Paris. Gaudel de Stampa, Paris. Marcelle Alix, Paris. Schleicher +
Lange, Paris/Berlin Germany: Chert, Berlin. Circus, Berlin. Croy Nielsen, Berlin. Exile, Berlin. *Cinzia Friedlaender, Berlin. Kadel Willborn, Karlsruhe. KOW, Berlin.
Lttgenmeijer, Berlin. Neue Alte Brcke, Frankfurt a.M. Sommer & Kohl, Berlin. Supportico Lopez, Berlin Great Britain: Ancient & Modern, London. Hollybush Gardens,
London. IBID, London. *Kendall Koppe, Glasgow. Limoncello, London. Mary Mary, Glasgow. Rob Tufnell, London. Jonathan Viner, London Greece: The Breeder,
Athens Ireland: Mothers Tankstation, Dublin Italy: Fluxia, Milan. Kaufmann Repetto, Milan. Francesca Minini, Milan. Monitor, Rome Mexico: *Gaga, Mexico City.
Labor, Mexico City The Netherlands: Ellen de Bruijne, Amsterdam. *Jeanine Hofland, Amsterdam. Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam. Martin van Zomeren, Amsterdam
New Zealand: Hopkinson Cundy, Auckland Poland: Stereo, Poznan Romania: Andreiana Mihail, Bucharest. *Sabot, Cluj-Napoca Spain: *Maisterravalbuena,
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valid as of March 2012
uatro reconocidos artistas nacionales, Francisca Sazi, Andrea Wolf,
Nicols Radic y Andreas Von Gehr, estuvieron proyectando sus obras
en distintas comunas de Santiago. Pintura, danza, fotografa y audiovisual se
unieron en una de las proyecciones callejeras ms grandes que se han desa-
rrollado en nuestro pas. Todos ellos convocados para representar el concepto
de la campaa Absolut Blank, donde cada obra toma forma y se inspira en la
reconocida botella de Absolut Vodka.
La campaa comenz a fnes de marzo, inundando las calles de Santiago de
arte nacional. La propuesta incluy varias proyecciones guerrillas, donde
cada semana se mostr una de las obras de los artistas en distintos edifcios
de la ciudad adems de una gran proyeccin en el edifcio Atton.
Recorrieron comunas como uoa, Las Condes, Providencia y Vitacura, dan-
do trmino con cuatro festas abiertas a todo pblico en diferentes locales,
donde los artistas tambin realizaron perfomance e intervenciones en vivo
en cada una de ellas.
La primera en mostrar su proyecto fue la bailarina y coregrafa de danza
contempornea, Francisca Sazi, quien present una propuesta simple y
pura centrada en la tcnica de coreografa en movimiento.
Luego fue el turno de Andreas Von Gerh, quien propuso a partir de un cua-
dro que ya existe, la creacin de ste en cmara rpida y con intervenciones.
Cuando la botella ya estaba casi terminada, los fragmentos de pintura cobra-
ron vida y comenzaron a interactuar y a formar fguras muy llamativas.
Por su parte, Andrea Wolf propuso pintar una botella donde cada pincelada
que va dando cobra vida a travs de un video que de a poco va formando la
imagen de un velero en el mar.
Finalmente, el destacado pintor Nicols Radic acept el desafo de pintar por
15 das un lienzo de aproximadamente diez metros, ubicado en el Boulevard
del Parque Arauco. El enorme cuadro busc refejar el efecto hiperrealista
que tanto lo caracteriza en todas sus obras.
Para ms informacin de la nueva campaa visita www.absolutblank.cl
inspirA un nuEvo movimiEnto dE crEAtividAd
con Absolut blAnK | InSPIRES A nEW CREAtIvE
MovEMEnt WIth ABSoLut BLAnK
En colaboracin con una nueva generacin de artistas
nacionales la reconocida marca Absolut Vodka
introduce Absolut Blank, un movimiento global donde la
creatividad es el punto de partida.
In conjunction with a new generation of local artists,
the renowned brand Absolut Vodka introduces Absolut
Blank, a global movement where creativity is the
starting point.
ABSoLut
Fotografas cortesa de ABSoLut
c f
our renowned local artists, Francisca Sazi, Andrea Wolf, Nicols
Radic and Andreas Von Gehr, projected their works in different
neighbourhoods of Santiago. Painting, Dance, photography and video
congregated in one of the most important street projections to ever be
developed in our country. All of them gathered to represent the concept
of the campaign Absolut Blank, where each work of art takes a form and
is inspired by the well-known bottle of Absolut Vodka.
The campaign began late March, fooding the streets of Santiago with
national art. The proposal included several guerrilla projections, where
each week one of the works of the artists was shown in different build-
ings of the city, as well as a grand projection at the Atton building.
They covered areas such as uoa, Las Condes, Providencia and Vitacu-
ra, fnishing up with four parties open to the public in different locations
where the artists also presented live performances and interventions in
each one of them.
The frst one to show her project was the dancer and choreographer of
contemporary dance, Francisca Sazi, who presented a pure and simple
proposal based on the choreography technique of movement.
Then it was the turn of Andreas Von Gerh, whose proposal was based
on a painting that already exists, the creation of it on fast play and with
interventions. When the bottle was already almost fnished, the frag-
ments of paint came to life and started to interact creating very appeal-
ing fgures. On her part, Andrea Wolf proposed painting a bottle where
each brushstroke comes to life through a video that little by little makes
the image of a sailboat at sea.
Finally, the prominent painter Nicols Radic, took the challenge of paint-
ing during 15 days a canvas of approximately ten meters located at the
Boulevard of Parque Arauco. The huge painting was looking to refect the
hyperrealist effect that characterizes all of his work so much.
For more information on the new campaign go to www.absolutblank.cl
Francisca Sazie
Coregrafa y bailarina. Estudi en el Centro de Danza Espiral, en Santiago,
y en el Dance Space y Movement Research, Nueva York. Fue miembro del
Duncan Center de Praga, becaria Unesco Ashberg Bursaries para una resi-
dencia en Bangkok, Tailandia y realiz una residencia en la compaia Bock
& Vicenzi, Londres.
El ao pasado present el exitoso montaje Sin testear y actualmente dar
inicio a su proyecto Realidad Aumentada, ganador del Fondart 2012.
Actualmente es directora, intrprete en la Universidad Arcis y del centro de
investigacin Teatro La Memoria.
Francisca Sazie
Choreographer and dancer. She studied at the Centro de Danza Espiral, in
Santiago, and at the Dance Space and Movement Research, in New York.
She was a member of the Duncan Center in Prague, won the Unesco Ash-
berg Bursaries for a residency in Bangkok, Thailand and did a residency at
the Bock & Vicenzi company in London.
Last year she presented the successful staging Sin testear and is currently
about to start her project Realidad Aumentada, which won the Fondart 2012
fund.Currently she is the director, performer at Universidad Arcis and at the
Teatro La Memoria investigation centre.
Andreas Von Gehr
Estudi arte en la universidad Arcis. En sus trabajos utiliza la pintura, foto-
grafa y los medios digitales, en una bsqueda de la identidad tanto personal
como a travs de la historia del arte. Lo bsico de su obra es el cuestiona-
miento de la imagen, pasando de la pintura a la fotografa. Son comunes sus
imgenes familiares, las que deconstruyen en una especie de puntillismo
posmoderno. Fue seleccionado en el catlogo de excelencia de fotografa
chilena y ha realizado varias exposiciones tanto en Chile como en extranjero.
Recientemente recibi el premio de Artist Wanted 2011, luego de ser selec-
cionado entre 100 participantes.
Andreas Von Gehr
He studied art at Universidad Arcis. In his works he uses painting,
photography and digital medias, in a search for both personal identity
and throughout the history of art. The base of his work is the questioning
of the image, passing from painting to photography. His familiar images
are quite common, where he deconstructs with a sort of postmodern
pointillism. He was selected for the Chilean photography catalogue of
excellence and has done several exhibitions in Chile as well as abroad.
Recently he received the Artist Wanted 2011 award, after being selected
amongst 100 participants.
Andrea Wolf
Estudi periodismo en la Universidad Catlica de Chile, luego viaj a
Barcelona donde hizo un Master en documentales y otro en arte digital.
Ha realizado varias exposiciones en Chile, Estados Unidos y Europa tales
como: Media Lab Madrid, Poetry Club, Scholes 319, entre otros. En sus
trabajos se destaca la relacin entre imagen, tiempo y memoria y los dis-
positivos de recuerdos que producimos. A travs de video instalaciones,
pelculas, entre otros, busca representar la tensin entre olvidar y recordar.
Actualmente vive y trabaja en Nueva York, donde acaba de terminar un
Master en telecomunicaciones interactivas en la New York University.
Andrea Wolf
She studied journalism at Universidad Catolica de Chile, and then travelled to Barce-
lona where she completed a Masters degree in documentaries and another one on
digital art. She has presented several exhibitions in Chile, United States and Europe
such as: Media Lab Madrid, Poetry Club, Scholes 319 amongst others. In her works
what stands out are the relationship between the image, time and memory and
the memory mechanisms that we produce. Through video installations, movies,
amongst other medias, she seeks to represent the tension between forgetting and
remembering. She currently lives and works in New York, where she just fnished
a Masters degree in interactive telecommunications at the New York University.
Nicols Radic
Pintor chileno graduado de Licenciatura en Artes Plsticas de la Universidad
Catlica de Chile. A sus 27 aos cuenta con cuatro exposiciones individua-
les y varias colectivas tanto en Chile como en el extranjero. Fiel exponente
del hiperrealismo pintrico, corriente que lo ha marcado desde su etapa de
formacin a mediados del ao 2000. Todos sus trabajos se han centrado prin-
cipalmente en el color y la composicin de distintos materiales, abordando
con precisin realista encuadres que juegan con la abstraccin.
Actualmente se encumbra como uno de los talentos jvenes ms prominen-
tes de la escena nacional.
Nicols Radic
Chilean painter with a BA from Universidad Catolica de Chile. This 27-
year-old artist has done four individual exhibitions and several collec-
tive ones both in Chile as well as abroad. A faithful exponent of pictorial
hyperrealism, a current that has marked him since his formational stage
in mid-2000. All of his works are mainly based on the colour and compo-
sition of different materials, achieving realist compositions that play with
abstraction.
Currently he is considered one of the most important young talents on
the local scene.
irrupcin orgnicA |
oRGAnIC BREAKthRouGh
Kenji nakama
Por Manuel Munive Maco . crtico de arte (Per)
Fotografa cortesa de Kenji nakama
btuve la misma reaccin de todas las personas a las que le mostr
personalmente o por correo electrnico las fotografas de la obra
reciente de Kenji Nakama: todas me preguntaron de inmediato Qu cosa
es? o De qu est hecha?.
Las trampas habituales que el Photoshop nos tiende en las pginas de las
publicaciones peridicas de arte, tanto impresas como virtuales, nos han
convertido en observadores cautelosos de obras como las de Nakama.
Hacen sospechar que pueden tratarse de otro ms de aquellos ilusionis-
mos electrnicos que no existen o que, de existir, apenas resistiran la
contemplacin directa. Por eso debemos empezar diciendo que la serie
de trabajos expuestos el 2011 por Kenji Nakama (Lima, 1982) captura
nuestra atencin, fundamentalmente porque nos desconcierta desde su
materialidad.
Decir obra reciente puede ser cuestionable para el caso de un artista de su
edad que ha egresado apenas hace cinco aos de su centro de formacin, la
Facultad de Arte de la Universidad Catlica del Per. Sealar lo de reciente
tiene que ver, ms bien, con el hecho de que hasta hace poco ms de dos aos
Nakama expona pinturas sobre tela, y en varias de ellas asuma el reto de
representar las fugaces fantasmagoras grfcas que se producen en las pan-
tallas y monitores electrnicos: fulguraciones captadas sobre un fondo negro,
muchas de ellas no fgurativas. stas, previamente atrapadas mediante la
fotografa digital en segmentos ya cuadrangulares, proponan una lectura
retiniana y quedaban dispuestas para ser replicadas en tela. Como un tram-
pantojo de lo intangible. Ser entonces la fotografa de aquellas crepitaciones
visuales proyectadas bajo la epidermis de los monitores electrnicos, la que lo
mantuvo vinculado con la pintura de caballete, y sta, en cierta medida, a la
tradicin pictrica al evocar una suerte de impresionismo no fgurativo.
Pero el lector se pregunta cmo es que de una experimentacin pictrica,
que incluso podra constituir una alusin a la potica futurista, el artista
llega a las piezas que justifcan este artculo? Precisamente es la atencin al
accidente visual de la imagen virtual la que lo lleva a concentrarse en el inci-
dente textural de los elementos reales y tangibles. Y este detalle producir la
conversin del pintor en una suerte de escultor en tanto lo que ahora elabora
son tcnicamente relieves de papel.
Ser entonces el ensamblaje el medio que lo conduce hacia las piezas que
ahora vemos y que ya en 2009 dio cuerpo a las obras que integraron su
muestra individual, tambin en la Galera de Luca de la Puente. Tiene un
sentido irnico el que entonces se sirviera de las revistas que contienen la
programacin de la televisin por cable para hacer estos ensamblajes que,
como las piezas que vemos, culminaron tambin en cuadros. Y tambin lo
tiene que las pinturas previas representaran los accidentalismos de aquella
electrnica domstica y del confort, diseada para combatir el tedio que
incluso parece circular por el sistema circulatorio del arte.
Los trabajos que motivan estas lneas ofrecen, en principio, una experiencia
sensorial, pues nos llevan desde una materialidad ordinaria papel en blanco,
encuadernado, cortado y reensamblado en el plano a una evocacin de lo
orgnico. Es esa irrupcin de la organicidad y el crecimiento natural, en medio
de la asepsia absoluta de la sala de exposiciones, la que nos intriga y seduce.
got the same reaction from every person that I showed, either
personally or by email, the photographs of Kenji Nakamas latest
work: they all said straight away, what is that? Or what is it
made of?
The usual tricks that Photoshop plays on us on the pages of periodical
art publications, both in print or digital, have made us into cautious
observers of works like the ones of Nakama since they make us sus-
pect that it could be just another of those electronic illusionisms that
do not exist or that, if they do exist, they will hardly resist direct
contemplation. That is why we must start by saying that the series of
works exhibited in 2011 by the young Peruvian artist Kenji Nakama
(Lima, 1982) captures our attention, mainly because of its disconcer-
ting materiality.
Saying recent work could be questionable in the case of an artist of his
age, who only fnished his studies fve years ago at the Facultad de Arte
de la Universidad Catolica del Peru. Highlighting the recent part has
more to do with the fact that until just over two years ago Nakama exhi-
bited paintings on canvas, and in several of them he took the challenge of
representing the feeting graphic phantasmagorias produced by screens
and electric monitors: fares captured against a black background, many
of them are non fgurative. These, previously captured through digital
photography in segments that were already quadrangular, proposed a
retinal lecture and were ready for being replicated onto a canvas. Like a
trompe loeil of what is intangible. Then it will be the photographs of tho-
se visual cracklings, projected under the skin of the electronic monitors,
what kept him linked to easel painting, and this, in a certain way, to
pictorial tradition by evoking a sort of non fgurative impressionism
But the reader asks himself, how is it that with pictorial experimen-
tation, which could even represent an allusion to futuristic poetry,
the artist gets to the pieces that justify this article? It is precisely his
attention to the visual accident of the virtual image that takes him to
concentrate on the textural incident of the real and tangible elements.
And this detail will produce the conversion of the painter into a sort of
sculptor, as what he creates now are technically paper reliefs.
Then, it would be the assembling of the media that takes him to the
pieces that we can already see now and that already in 2009 gave body
to the works that made up his individual exhibition, also at the Galeria
de Lucia de la Puente. It is ironic that at the time he used the magazines
containing the cable television programming to do these assemblies that,
like the pieces that we can see, also ended up as paintings. And it is also
ironic that the previous paintings represented the accidents of such elec-
tronics, which are domestic and of comfort, designed to combat boredom
that seems to circulate even through the circulatory system of art itself.
The works that motivate these lines offer, in principle, a sensorial ex-
perience, since they take us from an ordinary materiality blank paper,
bound, cut, reassembled- to evoking what is organic. That is the irrup-
tion of the organic and of natural growth, in the midst of the absolute
asepsis in the exhibiting room, which intrigues and seduces us.
o i
Per | Peru
Artista visual | visual Artist
120 . 121
"Sin ttulo", 2011, Ensamblaje de hojas de papel,103 x 73 x 20 cm.
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Pueblos Fantasmas en Vas de Extincin
Exposicin colectiva | mayo - junio 2012
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Ignacio Lobo, Cielo Rojo, Pueblos fantasmas, 2012, tecnica mixta, 80x100 cm.
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Ed. 54 May / June
Contemporary International Art Magazine
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