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Plural Domains III: Selected Works

This exhibition reflects CIFO’s generational structure, showcasing established, mid-career, and emerging artists. It also highlights the geographic range of the collection, featuring artists from countries such as Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Guatemala—many of whom have pursued their careers beyond their home countries.

Plural Domains III

The Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Collection

Curated by Jesús Fuenmayor

Full name: Plural Domains III

What defines contemporary Latin American art? Who are its key exponents? And what role do art collectors play in shaping this field? While these questions are complex and resist easy answers, they provide a concise framework for understanding the exhibition Plural Domains: Selected Works from the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Collection.


Since its founding in 2002, the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) has developed one of the most comprehensive and influential contemporary Latin American art collections. Between 2012 and 2015, I had the privilege of serving as director and curator of CIFO, where I participated in the acquisition process and gained in-depth knowledge of the collection. That experience and the critical perspective I now have enabled me to select works that engage in a rich dialogue with the official program of the XIV Cuenca Biennial, offering a unique perspective that complements and enhances it. Many of the artists featured in this exhibition have already left their mark on the Biennial’s history.


The CIFO Collection represents a diverse array of contemporary Latin American artists, spanning generations, countries, disciplines, and experiences. This exhibition reflects CIFO’s generational structure, showcasing established, mid-career, and emerging artists. It also highlights the geographic range of the collection, featuring artists from countries such as Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Guatemala—many of whom have pursued their careers beyond their home countries. These artists are trained in a variety of contexts, both within local institutions and in the art schools of global avant-garde centers. Many engage in multidisciplinary or hybrid practices, combining traditional techniques with cutting-edge methods and drawing from the vast repertoire of contemporary art. Moreover, many works are rooted in research, as these artists see art as both a form of inquiry and a reflection on the social and cultural environments they navigate.

The rigid dichotomies that once defined Latin American art—tradition versus revolution, localism versus universalism, figurative versus abstract, political versus apolitical, public versus private—are no longer relevant in today’s artistic landscape. Since the 1960s, Latin American artists have responded to shifting global realities with new creative strategies. Few of them now rely on iconography or narrative tropes to define Latin American identity. Instead, each work challenges stereotypes of what it means to be Latin American. Identifying an artwork’s “Latin American-ness” can be so complex that it often becomes indistinguishable from the practices of artists from other regions—yet this does not diminish the work’s relevance or sense of belonging.


Today, the focus of art has shifted from purely aesthetic concerns to anthropological, political, and philosophical inquiries. Contemporary artists engage with the viewer and consider the social, economic, and cultural forces that shape our increasingly globalized and fragmented world.

They also explore the relationship between art and other disciplines, addressing topics ranging from the philosophical dilemmas of the present to the sociocultural realities of their environments.


These practices coexist with various artistic strategies, including current trends and reworkings of past methods. Some of the key approaches adopted by contemporary artists include appropriation, estrangement (or decontextualization), archival and documentary practices, deconstruction, intertextuality, performativity of language (prioritizing the discursive over the narrative), and site-specific reflexivity, which has replaced earlier modernist ideas of site-specificity. At the same time, many artists draw from theoretical frameworks such as post-colonial studies, representation theory, systems theory, epistemology, and the social sciences. Their work often tackles complex subjects such as those posed by new materialist philosophies, expanding the dialogue around art’s role in contemporary life.


Attempting to identify a unifying Latin American essence in every work in this exhibition would be overwhelming and ultimately futile. However, if we understand these works as spaces of plural reflection and dialogue, we can appreciate how they address not only the questions relevant to Latin America but also the broader concerns of our contemporary moment.


Jesús Fuenmayor Curator of the Exhibition



Photo Credits

  1. Cecilia Vicuña (Chile, 1948): Quipu Akon One, 2019, mixed media, 119 x 111 x 122 inches / Técnica mixta, 119 × 111 × 122 pulgadas, 302.26 × 281.94 × 307.34 cm, aproximadamente.


  1. Carlos Martiel (Cuba, 1989): Award Martiel, Carlos, 2014, photograph and video documentation of a performance and vitrine containing a gold medal with the artist's skin. Video duration: 0:23:27 min / Condecoración Martiel, Carlos, documentación fotográfica y en video de una performance y vitrina que contiene una medalla de oro con piel del artista, duración del video: 0:23:27 min. 


  1. Daniela Ortiz (Peru, 1985); detail of Distinction, 2012, four engraved marble plates and black-and-white documents, each plate: 15.75 x 23.37 in / Detalle de Distinción, cuatro placas de mármol grabadas y documentos en blanco y negro, cada placa: 59.37 x 40 cm. 


  1. Nicolás Paris (Colombia, 1977): Classroom to Learn What Cannot Be Learned (or an Invisible School), 2019; installation of steel tubes, found objects, wheel, cardboard, tape, painting, exercises, conversations, and shared time; dimensions variable / Salón de clase para aprender lo que no se puede aprender (o una escuela invisible); instalación de tubos de acero, objetos encontrados, rueda, cartón, cinta adhesiva, pintura, ejercicios, conversaciones y tiempo compartido; dimensiones variables.  


  1. Leyla Cárdenas (Colombia, 1975); detail of Unweaving the Grid, 2019, video installation with sound and two projections on unwoven polyester fabric and concrete; photography and video: Ramón Villamarín; edition and programming: Esteban Rey; sound composition: Melissa Vargas; dimensions variable / Detalle de Destramando la retícula; instalación de video con sonido y dos proyecciones sobre tejido de poliéster deshilado y concreto; fotografía y video: Ramón Villamarín; edición y programación: Esteban Rey; composición sonora: Melissa Vargas; dimensiones variables.  


  1. Daniela Ortiz; detail of Distinction, 2012, by / Detalle de Distinción, por Daniela Ortiz  


  1. Elena Damiani (Peru, 1979): Umbra Penumbra I, Umbra Penumbra II (Giclee print on cotton papers / impresión giclée sobre papel de algodón: 20.87 x 28.75 in, 53 x 73.02 cm each); Syzygy I after Skywolf, and Syzygy II after Camargo (Travertine and hand-carved and polished marble, copper and stainless steel / travertino y mármol tallado y pulido a mano, cobre y acero inoxidable: 23.5 x 5 x 35 in, 59.69 x 12.7 x 88.9 and 47.75 x 5.75 x 9.25 in / 121.28 x 14.60 x 23.49 cm), 2016 


  1. Marcius Galan (Brazil, 1972): Three Sections, 2011; site-specific installation of wood, floor wax, and paint on the wall. Edition 1 of 3 + 1 AP.; 150 x 227 x 120 in / Tres secciones; instalación site-specific de madera, cera para pisos y pintura en la pared. Edición 1 de 3 + 1 PA.; 381 x 576.58 x 304.8 cm.  

  2. David Lamelas (Argentina, 1946), Time as Activity (London), 2011; 16mm film transfer to video; 00:17:30 / Tiempo como actividad (Londres); transferencia de película de 16mm a video; 00:17:30.


  1. Leyla Cárdenas; detail of Unweaving the Grid / Detalle de Destramando la retícula.


  1. Exhibition view / Vista de la exposición


  1. Carlos Martiel; detail of Award Martiel, Carlos / Detalle de Condecoración Martiel, Carlos.


  1. Manuela Ribadeneira (Ecuador, 1966); Detail of Artificial Horizons, Instruments of Reflection. The space between doubt and certainty, from the series The Art of Navigation, 2013,optical lenses, optical mirrors, wood, brass, levels, filters, glass and plumbs; dimensions variable, overall: 27.5 x 149.5 x 53 in / Detalle de Horizontes artificiales, instrumentos de reflexión. El espacio entre la duda y la certeza, de la serie El arte de navegar; lentes ópticas, espejos ópticos, madera, latón, niveles, filtros, vidrio y plomadas; dimensiones variables, en conjunto: 69.9 × 379.7 × 134.6 cm.


  1. Exhibition view / Vista de la exposición 


  1. Manuela Ribadeneira (Ecuador, 1966); detail of Artificial Horizons, Instruments of Reflection. The space between doubt and certainty, from the series The Art of Navigation, 2013, / Detalle de Horizontes artificiales, instrumentos de reflexión. El espacio entre la duda y la certeza, de la serie El arte de navegar  


  1. Antonio Vega (Mexico, 1980); detail of Murmurs, 2011, installation of intervened newspapers with kneeling stools; dimensions variable / Detalle de Murmullos; instalación de periódicos intervenidos con bancos de rodillas; dimensiones variables 


  1. View of Fragments for Human Hands X by Eduardo Abaroa (Mexico, 1968) / Vista de Fragmentos para manos humanas X 


  1. Exhibition view with Manuela Ribadeneira to the right / Vista de la exposición con la obra de Manuela Ribadeneira a la derecha.


  1. Exhibition text / Texto de la exposición 


  1. Antonio Caro (Colombia, 1950 - 2021): The Wolf, 2013; installation of correspondence with the artist, posters, and photographs printed on paper; dimensions variable / El Lobo; instalación de correspondencia con el artista, carteles y fotografías impresas en papel; dimensiones variables. 


  1. Ilich Castillo (Ecuador, 1978); Exhibition view. On the floor featuring Confirmation of Events II, 2016-2017; encyclopedia pages, plastic, and found objects, MDF platform; 9 x 315 x 78 in / Vista de la exposición. En el piso, se presenta la obra de Confirmación de los acontecimientos II, 2016-2017; páginas de enciclopedia, plástico y objetos encontrados sobre plataforma de MDF; 22.86 x 800.1 x 198.12 cm.  


  1. Jorge Pedro Núñez (Venezuela, 1976): Nature Morte with Monuments, 2010; installation consisting of sculptures made from vinyl records; dimensions variable / Naturaleza muerta con monumentos, 2010; instalación compuesta por esculturas realizadas a partir de discos de vinilo; dimensiones variables.


  1. Jorge Pedro Núñez (Venezuela, 1976): Nature Morte with Monuments, 2010; installation consisting of sculptures made from vinyl records; dimensions variable / Naturaleza muerta con monumentos, 2010; instalación compuesta por esculturas realizadas a partir de discos de vinilo; dimensiones variables.


  2. José Gabriel Fernández (Venezuela, 1957); Interior No. 1, 2013; acrylic gesso on plywood and MDF; dimensions variable / Interior No. 1, 2013; gesso acrílico sobre contrachapado y MDF; dimensiones variables.


  3. Julieta Aranda (Mexico, 1975): Tools for Infinite Monkeys: A Striking Practical Example (and Surreptitiously Vanished), 2012; serigraphs on paper and on mirror, bunting (twine, acetate), modified typewriter, silver leaf, ceramic, silver dust, vinyl appliqué, and audio; dimensions variable / Herramientas para infinitos monos: Un contundente ejemplo (y subrepticiamente desvanecido), 2012; serigrafías sobre papel y sobre espejo, banderines (cordel, acetato), máquina de escribir modificada, pan de plata, cerámica, polvo de plata, vinilo aplicado y audio; dimensiones variables.


  4. Sandra Nakamura (Peru, 1981): Colorless to White, 2016; salt sculpture (206 x 36 x 36 in), laser cut, clear acrylic panels, and nine Chinese ink on vellum drawings (16.5 x 23 in each) / Incoloro a blanco, 2016; escultura de sal (523.2 × 91 × 91 cm), acrílico transparente cortado con láser y nueve dibujos a tinta china sobre vitela (41.91 × 58.42 cm cada uno).

  5. Amalia Pica (Argentina, 1978); detail of If These Walls Could Talk (With Door), 2011 site-specific installation, mixed media; 192 x 45 x 120 in / Detalle de Si estas paredes hablaran (con puerta), 2011 por Amalia Pica; instalación site-specific, técnica mixta; 487.7 x 114 x 304.8 cm.

  6. Exhibition view / Vista de la exposición.

  7. Leyla Cárdenas View of Unweaving the Grid / Vista de Destramando la retícula. 

  8. Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa (Guatemala, 1978); detail of Carpus, 2015, A series of three-dimensional objects cast in bronze, sitting on a table; dimensions variable / Detalle de Carpus, Una serie de objetos tridimensionales fundidos en bronce, dispuestos sobre una mesa; dimensiones variables.  

  9. Laura Belém (Brazil, 1974): Sculpture Garden II, 2011; installation consisting of powdered marble and plastic straws; dimensions variable / Jardín de Esculturas II, 2011; instalación compuesta por mármol en polvo y pajillas de plástico; dimensiones variables.

  10. Sandra Nakamura. View of Colorless to White / Vista de Incoloro a blanco.

  11. Miguel Amat (Venezuela, 1971): Admirable Campaign #7 from the series Technologies of Archive, 2008; photograph mounted on aluminum; dimensions variable / Campaña Admirable #7, de la serie Tecnología de Archivos, 2008; fotografía montada sobre aluminio; dimensiones variables. 


  12. Elena Damiani; View of (vista de) Umbra (Umbría) Penumbra I, Umbra (Umbría) Penumbra II, Syzygy I after Skywolf, and (y) Syzygy II after Camargo.

  13. Claudia Martínez-Garay (Peru, 1983); detail of Sub America, 2019, acrylic on plywood; 146 x 75 in / Detalle de Sub America, 2019; acrílico sobre madera contrachapada; 370 x 190.5 cm.

  14. Amalia Pica; detail of If These Walls Could Talk (With Door) / Detalle de Si estas paredes hablaran (con puerta) por Amalia Pica. 

  15. Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa (Guatemala, 1978): View of Carpus, 2015, A series of three-dimensional objects cast in bronze, sitting on a table; dimensions variable / Vista de Carpus: Una serie de objetos tridimensionales fundidos en bronce, dispuestos sobre una mesa; dimensiones variables. 

  16. Runo Lagomarsino (Swiss-Brazil, 1977): A Conquest Means Not Only Taking Over, 2010; installation consisting of wallpaper, cardboard, a stand and a slide projection; dimensions variable / Una Conquista no significa solo tomar el control, 2010; instalación compuesta por papel tapiz, cartón, un soporte y una proyección de diapositivas; dimensiones variables.

  17. Richard Garet (Uruguay-USA, 1972): Quotidian, 2017; generative quadraphonic sound installation for ear-to-wall listening, Mac Mini, custom software, four transducers, two amplifiers, wall drawing; dimensions variable / Cotidiano, 2017; instalación sonora generativa cuadrafónica para escucha oído-pared, Mac Mini, software personalizado, cuatro transductores, dos amplificadores, dibujo mural; dimensiones variables.

  18. Jorge Méndez Blake (Mexico, 1974): Black Pavilion- Open Library, 2013; mixed media: wooden shelves with books, some printed and some blank; 137.75 x 80 x 177 in / Pabellón negro- librería abierta, 2013; técnica mixta: estanterías de madera con libros, algunos impresos y otros en blanco; 349.9 x 203.2 x 449.6 cm.

  19. Elena Damiani; Syzygy I (skywolf) and Umbra Penumbra I / Umbría penumbra.

  20. Exhibition view / Vista de la exposición. 


** Photos courtesy of Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico / Fotos cortesía del Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Guadalajara, México 


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