ANNETTE LIN WINS 2020 YES HYPERALERGIC
ART WRITERS GRANT
Independent arts writer Annette Lin has been awarded the 2020 YES Hyperallergic Art Writers Grant. She was selected by independent jurors Gabriela Rangel, Hrag Vartanian and Susana Marcelo. In the article she will address how queer, female Salvadoran artists in the diaspora are writing a new narrative of El Salvador which contrasts the official representation of the country by the media.
The Y.ES Arts Writers Grant program is possible thanks to the support of Gabriela Poma and Susanne Meline.
See more of Annette Lin here.
See past winners here.
Y.ES INTERIM DIRECTOR PATRICIO MAJANO
IN CALL FOR CURATORS TALK
Y.ES Curator and Interim Director, Patricio Majano, participated in the ALT(ering) + SHIFT(ing) + COMM(uning) conversation series. Patricio Majano spoke with independent curator Ilaria Conti and discussed artistic practices in El Salvador, institutional and independent strategies to support Salvadoran artists locally and internationally, and the cultivation of creative exchanges across Central America.
Image: Patricio Majano. Photograph by Alejandra Paz.
Y.ES ONLINE STUDIO VISITS
Natalia Domínguez speaks with Salvador Vayà Salort and Iris Lam Chen
This month, Salvadoran artist Natalia Domínguez spoke with team members of the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica, Iris Lam Chen and Salvador Vayà Salort. During the conversation they discussed possibilities for collaborative projects connecting El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Natalia Dominguez is a Salvadoran artist whose work addresses her personal history as well as Salvadoran history and traditions. Domínguez is also the cofounder of Ensayo y Error Project, an art space that hosts residencies, workshops, exhibitions and special projects.
Salvador Vayà is currently finishing a 5 year period as Director of the Cultural Spain in Costa Rica. Iris Lam Chen is an Arts Manager at the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica, and is the Director of Global Metro Art, a cultural management organization in Costa Rica.
See more about Natalia Domínguez here.
See more about Ensayo y Error here.
See more about the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica here.
THIS HAPPENED
Y.ES ART WRITERS FEATURES
BEHIND THE IMAGE OF THE INDIGENOUS
IN THE VISUAL ARTS OF EL SALVADOR.
AFTER A CONSTRUCTION FROM CONTRADICTION
Y.ES Contemporary commissioned the article Behind the Image of the Indigenous in the Visual Arts of El Salvador, After A Construction from Contradiction, by Salvadoran writer Jaime Izaguirre. This article was the result of the 2019 Y.ES Artist Academy dedicated to arts writing. In the article Izaguirre reviews the representation of indigenous characters in Salvadoran painting, reflecting in the politics behind these representations.
The Y.ES Contemporary Artist Academy dedicated to arts writing aims to contribute to the critical dialogue surrounding contemporary Salvadoran art. Special thanks to Gabriela Poma for her time and dedication to this program.
Salvadoran artist based in New York Mauricio Esquivel participated in the exhibition “en_registro_” at El Lobi, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Curated by Vanessa Hernández Gracia, the show presents a selection of video performances by Latin American artists ranging from introspective ritual practices to works inspired by specific social and political context. Participating artists also include César Manzanares, Pável Aguilar, Nibia Pastrana Santiago, Zaida Goveo, and Perla Ramos. The exhibition was available for viewing by appointment.
Image: Mauricio Esquivel, “Reference Lines”, video performance. Courtesy the artist.
BEATRIZ CORTEZ AT “IN PLAIN SIGHT”
Beatriz Cortez, a Salvadoran artist based in Los Angeles, was part of the collaborative project, “XMAP: In Plain Sight,” which gathered 80 artists protesting migrant detention centers and incarceration culture in the United States by skytyping messages over detention centers, immigration courts, borders, and sites of former internment camps. The pieces remained visible afterwards through augmented reality. The event took place on the weekend of July 4th, the United State’s independence day.
View more about “In Plain Sight” here.
View more about Beatriz Cortez here.
Image: Beatriz Cortez, “No Cages No Jaulas”. Courtesy the artist.
GUADALUPE MARAVILLA AT PPOW GALLERY
Artist Guadalupe Maravilla is participating in the collective exhibition “Noplace” at PPOW Gallery in New York. Presented in a physical and online format, the show features works by 5 artists whose work can be related to the pursuit of an utopian ideal. Maravilla is presenting “Disease Thrower #4,” a headdress and instrument he will be activating in weekly healing sound baths for small groups. The exhibition is on view from July 13th- August 14th, 2020.
View the exhibition here.
See more of Guadalupe Maravilla here.
Image: Guadalupe Maravilla, “Disease Thrower #4”. Courtesy the artist.
SIMÓN VEGA AT LILIANA BLOCH GALLERY
Artist Simón Vega is part of the collective exhibition “A Posteriori” at Liliana Bloch Gallery. The show aims to open a dialog about the current crisis and the way it is affecting the world. The show opens the gallery’s new location at 4741 Memphis Street and is on view by appointment only from June 20 to August 1st, 2020.
See more about the exhibition here.
See more of Simón Vega here.
Image: Simón Vega, from the “Blueprint series". Courtesy the artist.
MURIEL HASBUN AWARDED A FY 21 AHCMC ARTIST & SCHOLAR PROJECT GRANT AWARD
Muriel Hasbun was awarded an Artists & Scholars Project Grant by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland. With this grant Hasbun will continue developing her new body of work, “PULSE/PULSO.”
Read more about the grant here.
See more of PULSE/PULSO here.
MURIEL HASBUN SELECTED AS A 2020 SONDHEIM ARTSCAPE PRIZE FINALIST
Salvadoran artist Muriel Hasbun is one of six finalists for the 2020 Sondheim Artscape Prize. Hasbun’s finalist online exhibition, “Pulse and Memory,” presents the series "Pulse: New Cultural Registers/Pulso: Nuevos registros culturales," her video piece Scheherazade or (Per)forming the Archive and photographs from "si je meurs/if I die.”
See the complete exhibition here.
See more of Muriel Hasbun here.
Image: Muriel Hasbun, Super 8mm film, 2014.09.20, from the archive, c. 1960’s, Washington D.C., 2015. Courtesy the artist.
JAVIER RAMÍREZ NADIE/NADIA IN THE “ARMARIOS ABIERTOS” SYMPOSIUM
Artist Javier Ramírez Nadie/NadiA participated in an online talk part of “Armarios Abiertos,” a program organized by the network of Cultural Centers of Spain that featured presentations by members of the LGBTQI+ community around the world. Ramirez participated in a panel discussing LGBTQI+ artivism in Ibero-America.
See more about Armarios Abiertos here.
See more of Javier Ramírez here.
Image: NadiA photographed by Caroline Lacey, Part of the project "Queen of the Most Violent Country in the World". Courtesy the artist.
SIMÓN VEGA AND RONALD MORÁN AT SOL DEL RIO GALLERY
Salvadoran artists Ronald Morán and Simón Vega are part of the exhibition “Desde el Encierro” at Sol del Río Gallery in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The show presents works by 11 artists, including a series of drawings and sculptures by Simón Vega, and a piece from Ronald Moran’s series “Entre las Flores.” Exhibition is open by appointment or through a virtual guided visit from June 20 to July 24, 2020.
Read more about the exhibition here.
See more of Simón Vega here.
See more of Ronald Morán here.
Image: Sculpture by Simón Vega. Courtesy the artist.
ABIGAIL REYES AND WALTERIO IRAHETA AT REVISIONES 2
Artist Abigail Reyes and Walterio Iraheta are part of the collective exhibition “Revisiones 2” at Osmosis in Guatemala City. The show features works by five artists, including Guatemalan artists Erick Boror, Manuel Tzoc and Leonel Juracán. Reyes is presenting her installation Planas and her video, Sí Señor. Iraheta is presenting drawings from his “Superlativos” series.
See more about Abigail Reyes here.
See more about Walterio Iraheta here.
“FUTURO” COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION HOSTED BY THE CULTURAL CENTER OF SPAIN IN EL SALVADOR
The Cultural Center of Spain in El Salvador presents the collective online exhibition “Futuro,” inspired by the different perspectives on futures in the cultural magazine, Impúdica 4. The exhibition brings together these pieces to reflect on the future in a critical moment during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participating artist include Beatriz Cortez, Carmen Elena Trigueros, Muriel Hasbun, Luis Cornejo, Dalia Chévez, Mauricio Esquivel, Orlando Villatoro, Walter Iraheta, La Trinidad (Patricio Majano, Lucy Tomasino y Óscar Díaz). The exhibition was launched on July 9th and it will remain on view through the CCESV website.
View the exhibition here.
Image: Luis cornejo. “Lady with unicorn”. Courtesy the artist.
PRESS
BEATRIZ CORTEZ IN VOGUE MEXICO
Artist Beatriz Cortez is featured in the article 19 Artists Share Artworks That Give Hope in Uncertain Times, by Regina Montemayor and published by Vogue.mx. The article notes her 2017 work in collaboration with Rafa Esparza, Nomad 13, a space capsule that holds a garden of native plants from the Americas.
Read the article here.
Image: Beatriz Cortez and Rafa Esparza, “Nomad 13”. Courtesy the artist and Commonwealth and Council.
ABIGAIL REYES INTERVIEW IN ARTISHOCK
Artist Abigail Reyes was interviewed by Alejandra Villasmil for Artishock. In the interview Reyes discusses her time as a secretary and how that plays into her work, utilizing poetry in her artwork and more.
Read the complete interview here.
Image: Abigail Reyes, from the series “Popular Poetry”. Courtesy the artist.
JOSE CAMPOS (STUDIO LENCA) FEATURED AT INTERVENXIONS
Artist Jose Campos was interviewed by Melissa Saenz Gordon fon Intervenxions, an online publication by The Latinx Project at New York University. In the interview, Campos talks about his creative work, his recent projects, his experience as a Salvadoran artist in the UK and more.
Image: Studio Lenca, “Los Historiantes” (detail), 2019. Courtesy the artist.
SALVADORAN ARTISTS FEATURED IN LA FANZINE
A group of Salvadoran visual artists and writers were selected to appear in the fourth printed edition of La Fanzine which will presentworks addressing sexual diversity. This edition will be divided into two publications to be made in June and December of 2020. Artists featured include Andrés Paz, Aria XYX among others others.
Image: Aria XYX, From the series “The weight of your words”. Courtesy the artist.
EXHIBITION REVIEW
UNKNOWN LEARNING JOSE CAMPOS (STUDIO LENCA) AND OLIVER HERBERT
June 2020
BY PATRICIO MAJANO
Image: Jose Campos, Untitled, lesson on composition and collage. Courtesy the artist.
The online exhibition “Unknown Learning” features works that reflect on the current labor of the artist/teacher and the changed processes of learning and teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. The exhibition is a collaboration between Salvadoran British artist, Jose Campos (Studio Lenca) and artist Oliver Herbert, along with their students.
In his recent photographs Campos takes inspiration from the garments of Los Historiantes, folkloric Salvadoran characters influenced by Hispanic and pre-columbian traditions. Being away from El Salvador has forced him to explore alternative materials, different to the ones used by traditional Historiante dancers. This has become an integral part of his creative process, intensified since the beginning of the quarantine as he has been utilizing primarily the materials available in his home.
Image: Jose Campos, “School Kills Artists”, Installation. Courtesy the artist.
One piece “School Kills Artists” consists of a blanket suspended in the air, which reads “School makes artists” on one side and “School kills artists” on the other. These statements allow the spectator to circle around from one point of view to the other and back. The use of the material here is relevant as it presents the blanket as an object of shelter independent of the oppositional claims. The idea of shelter implies care in the acts of teaching, learning and creating. It establishes an affective bond between teacher and student which precedes all conflicting ideas about educational structures.
The presence of this affective bond in educational processes is highly valuable, especially considering that traditional education in arts often imposes canons, is restrictive, hierarchical, and promotes competition between students. This bond is important as it challenges this and provides a space to create beyond hierarchy and normativity.
The most important aspect that comes out of this exhibition is the act of reflecting on educational processes and adapting them if necessary. Even though the project is framed by the pandemic and quarantine, this reflection is healthy and necessary at any moment.
Image: Jose Campos, “Illegal Alien”. Garments from found materials from the artist home. Courtesy the artist.
View “Unknown Learning” here.
See more of Jose Campos (Studio Lenca) here.
