Positions in Context

Positions in Context proudly features a diverse group of ten thought-provoking artists awarded the 2007 CIFO Grant. The selection of artists for this exhibition was not aimed at creating a unified curatorial narrative; instead, it highlights a shared foundation among their works. Each artist engages in contextual or site-specific practices that delve into cultural, political, geographical, and human contexts. These emerging talents foster an unexpected conceptual dialogue with their own cultures, among themselves as a collective of disparate artists and contemporary culture and art. Their engagement with cultural and political themes promises to intellectually stimulate our visitors, providing an exciting and engaging experience.

Among the artists, Renata Lucas, Héctor Zamora, and collaborators Cecilia Szalkowicz and Gastón Pérsico present site-specific installations that investigate and challenge the boundaries and conventions of the museological space, physically and conceptually. Lucas's installation utilizes carpet to influence the audience's movement and reconfigure the spatial architecture. Zamora constructs an experimental structure designed to transform spatial perception and create an individual poetic experience. Szalkowicz and Pérsico offer an interactive installation where photocopied artworks extend the life of the work beyond the exhibition space and into participants' homes.

Donna Conlon and Alberto Baraya address the tradition of landscape in art and nature. Baraya's multimedia installation reflects the romantic landscape tradition from his expedition to study the African palm. Conlon's photographs explore the contradictions of expansion and urbanization, presenting traditional, idyllic landscapes created from found debris.

Luis Molina-Pantin and Ángel Poyón Cali examine consumer culture in a global context. Molina-Pantin showcases a series of photographs taken on a Royal Caribbean cruise, capturing the ship's unique aesthetic, the endless entertainment options, and the artificial recreation of nature onboard. Poyón Cali, from Guatemala, presents drawings that focus on the role of everyday objects, such as televisions and cell phones, in shaping people's lives.

Three artists—Adriana García Galán, Fredi Casco, and Emilio Valdés—offer video installations that engage with broader cultural, personal, and political themes. Through video and photography, Casco's work captures moments from the "Chiriguano Carnival" in the Paraguayan Pampa, exploring mass media's impact on popular culture and the complexities of cross-cultural transformation. García Galán presents an ironic video installation where two human beatboxers reenact end-of-year speeches by American and Colombian presidents. Valdés's video installation is an existential meditation on a generation caught between a traditional past and a superficial, modern existence.

The issues addressed in this exhibition—particularly cultural specificity, conceptual strategies, and media—resonate within the expansive realm of international contemporary art.

Artists

Alberto Baraya (Colombia), Fredi Casco (Paraguay), Donna Conlon (Panama), Adriana García Galán (Colombia), Renata Lucas (Brazil), Luis Molina-Pantin (Venezuela), Ángel Poyón  Calí (Guatemala), Cecilia Szalkowicz and Gastón Pérsico (Argentina), EmilioValdés (Mexico), Hector Zamora (Mexico).