Buenos Aires Roundup
Angelina Mortarotti
While spending two months in Buenos Aires, I met many porteños (as the city dwellers are called) who grow anxious at the mere discussion of weather maladies and natural disaster. Because, I was told, the only disasters they have to fear in Argentina are politics. And indeed this is a grave lingering reality of Argentine life and history as only four years ago the country made international headlines for committing the largest debt default in the history of the world, plunging the economy into instant crisis.
Today, despite the lingering poverty, an art scene is still flourishing. In fact some people believe that the crisis brought a resurgence of creativity to the region. Older neighborhoods that have been revamped with an onslaught of one-of-a-kind boutiques, and uber-stylish restaurants have been given monikers such as Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood drawing a scene resembling that of the original locations. These areas, in addition to many others throughout the city, are also now home to a number of galleries and art of varying medium and content.
Among the more reputable and well-known (and more closely resembling New York’s conception of "gallery space") are Zavaleta Lab and Braga Menendez. Both showcase contemporary art of high caliber and display standards. In November, Braga Menendez, located in Palermo Hollywood, displayed a series of oil paintings by Juan Tessi in a show entitled "All Models Over 18." The paintings, realistically rendered, depicted portraits of victims of violence. Bruises across the face, while sometimes the abuser is still present in the peripheral of the frame, depicted grasping the victim’s arm. Zavaleta Lab also held an exhibition of figurative oil paintings for its November show, by artist Diego Gravinese.
While more conventional galleries are abound, some of the most enthusiasm comes from the more experimental spaces. Sonoridad Amarilla is a restaurant in the second floor of an Argentine home. Dining rooms are housed in structural bedrooms seating no more than ten per room where diners perch on pillows placed on the floor in the dimly-lit spaces. But Sonoridad also houses a well-lit gallery in one of its many rooms. Rotating exhibits are not confined to this space, but also flow throughout the rooms displaying works of varied mediums.
Another favorite among young and creative porteños is Belleza y Felicidad, literally translated to "beauty and happiness," perhaps is just that. If you don’t look closely you can almost mistake it for a storefront, with the words written in cursive gold font across the glass door. Inside, the art is playful and ambitious, and in the month of November fully transformed by an elaborate installation by the team of artists, Diego Bianchi and Leopoldo Estol.
Contemporary Argentine and Latin American art is also proudly exhibited at two foundations in Buenos Aires. Arte X Arte is a foundation, and one of the few art spaces that I visited that is dedicated to photography and digital arts. The foundation includes three floors of exhibition space of well-curated works of various print type and presentation. In the historical neighborhood of la Boca is the PROA foundation. The five exhibitions held here each year help to keep Argentina up-to-date with international contemporary art. Big names such as Jenny Holzer and Rosmarie Trockel are listed in the foundation’s exhibition history. In the summer, roughly December through February, the space is devoted to group shows and elaborate installations by Argentine artists. Two main floors, and a rooftop with views of the Plate River, house the exhibits.
And way on the other side of town is El Borde, a gallery housed in an old metal factory. The history of this structure is preserved by the tracks and car that run through the center of the gallery (but has been turned into a cushioned bench of sorts). El Borde is known to exhibit some of the same artists that are found in PROA, making for highly creative and visually stunning work arranged magnificently. I found the most unconventional sculptural pieces here in the work of Taipei artist (but living and working in Buenos Aires for many years), Aili Chen, and Argentine, Paula Abalos. Chen’s work is constructed from pantyhose, at times ripped, and wire, creating utterly gorgeous site-specific wall installations. The work on display by Abalos is more conceptual but remains tactile. A nylon-oversized cactus is rigged to a solar panel that either inflates the succulent, when there is sun, or leaves it in a deflated pile with the absence of light.
In Buenos Aires, great talent and spaces are dotted throughout the city. And despite the countries current economic instability, art remains an independent venture with undaunted persistence, and countless people devoted to it.
