Sunday, November 14, 2010

Southern Identity: Contemporary Argentine Art


Where: Ripley Center

When: through January 23, 2011

If you are interested in Argentine art, now is the time to visit Washington's museums; in honor of its bicentennial, there are several shows featuring the art and artists of this country currently on display. I was thinking as I walked over to the Ripley that I really know nothing of Latin American art, and I was glad of an opportunity to fill this gap in my knowledge.

"Southern Identity" is a survey of the contemporary art of this country, and although it's a large exhibit, the Ripley has done a nice job of organizing the show. It's divided into several different sections, so that even though you're looking at pieces by different artists, they "go together" thematically. They've provided a diagram of the exhibit that shows you where you are as you move through, a nice touch. The Ripley may be underground, and its International Gallery may be a pretty lousy exhibit space, but the curators there do the best they can - which is quite good.

Quite a few works caught my eye including:
  • a picture that from a distance I thought was a Christ figure, but then realized was Eva Peron eating the entrails of Che Guevara
  • a traffic camera by Jorge Macchi where the cars represent notes on a staff - less lazy than the usual traffic camera installation
  • Leon Ferrari's sculpture of Christ crucified on a USAF plane
  • a landscape series by Eduardo Stupia that looks like the blotter paper of a manic doodler
  • several pieces by Tulio de Sagastizabal with really wonderful colors
  • a piece by Marta Minujin with similar colors, placed in the same area - hats off to the person who set this up - each artist's work plays up the work of the other
  • the picture displayed above, by Marcos Lopez - a Last Supper of soccer players
  • an installation by Susanna Drogotta called "About to Laugh" which is constructed of vinyl fabric and mosquito netting
Verdict: worth a look, especially if you're interested in Argentine art, or would like to learn more. The great organization makes it easy to view.

No comments:

Post a Comment