GROUP SHOW
III National Colloquium of the “Public Art”
Date
March 17 – March 23, 2008
Artists
Aliosky García, Elizabet Cerviño, Fernando López, Jairo Gutiérrez, Katia Leyva, Katia Uliver & Eduardo Yaque, Leticia Galllego, Maite Rondón, Oscar O. Ortega, Naivy Pérez & Rewell Altunaga, Wisquelmis Rodríguez, Yamisleisy García, Yusnier Mentado & Rewell Altunaga.
Curated by
Rewell Altunaga
Gallery
Public Art
Location
Ciego de Ávila, Cuba
Curatorial Statement
Since the late 1960s, a new aesthetic correlated with recent presentations of conceptual art emerged in the art world. During those years, it appeared on the scene surrounded by a cluster of genres that included performance art, happenings, body art, land art, and others.
Although one could reference Dadaist movements or other trends of the preceding avant-garde, I believe it was Acconci who was one of the first to consciously apply the term “public art” to define his relational actions. While these actions did not refer to sculptures, murals, or public monuments, they embraced the same idea of placement but from a pragmatic Situationist perspective in which the artwork is not understood solely as a visual phenomenon. Instead, it actively engages its audience and disrupts a space to textualize its components, making them more than a mere medium—the artwork becomes itself. Beuys, shortly afterward, spoke about his concept of “social sculpture,” which involved the implicit debate around thought relationships and the conception of activism that, through art, would lead to social permutations capable of refining collective consciousness and the surrounding environment. The critical impact of Hans Haacke’s work, for instance, engaged with a correspondence framework that mediated between the public and private spheres. Despite most of Haacke’s works being qualitatively object-based and exhibited in conventional spaces, their critical dimension often transcended into areas of political and social relevance.
In general, these are the precedents that informed the creation of a space that, every year, allowed a group of artists to project and create works related to the urban environment. The event proposes a plaza for the production and presentation of projects selected in advance, as well as an area for experimentation with works conceived and created directly within the event itself.
Additionally, it serves as a space for exchange between artists from various locations and generations, based on discussions, talks, conferences, and workshops, inviting critics and theorists familiar with the topic. Public Art has an inclusive character and does not imply thematic or referential curatorship. We are interested in fostering a space where artists can work without pressure, which is why there is no fixed program—a hallmark of this type of event. Instead, the works happen spontaneously throughout the week, across a city that functions as an exhibition platform.
Rewell Altunaga
Ciego de Ávila, Cuba