The Sites of Latin American Abstraction

This exhibition traveled to the following locations:

• Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Switzerland │ February 24 - May 1, 2011

• Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn, Germany │ September 17, 2010 - January 30, 2011

• EsBaluard Museu d'art Modern i Contemporani de Palma in Palma de Mallorca, Spain │ March 27 - June 20, 2010

• Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, California │ November 8, 2009 - January 17, 2010

The exhibition aims to explore a seldom-discussed aspect of Latin American abstract art: How did the concurrent emergence of abstract movements in various artistic hubs (Argentina and Uruguay, Brazil, and Venezuela) address the cultural and socio-political imperative to reevaluate Latin American identity through the lens of modernist art?

With this expansive focus, the exhibition proposes a series of intersections shaped by local histories. These intersections converge around a central inquiry: the formation of a Latin American identity in the post-war period when the continent underwent significant economic and social changes that influenced how Latin American culture viewed itself. This raises important questions about the uniqueness of Latin American abstraction. The exhibition responds by highlighting the region's emphasis on concrete art, distinguishing its developments from those of the abstract movement in the United States, which tended more towards the dissolution of form in favor of what is often called "opticality."

The theoretical framework of the exhibition aims to establish a connection between Latin American concrete art and Russian Constructivism and Suprematism—movements with distinct political agendas that sought to reconstruct social, cultural, and political identities through collective vision. By tracing the historical evolution of Russian avant-garde art—focusing on abstraction, objecthood, the project of collectivity, and the reimagining of public space—the exhibition offers a comprehensive approach that will enlighten our audience of art historians, curators, and art enthusiasts.

Artists
Gertrudes Altschul, Carmelo Arden Quin, Geraldo de Barros, Hércules Barsotti, Ubi Bava, Martín Blaszko, Feliza Bursztyn, Sérgio Camargo, Amílcar de Castro, Willys de Castro, Lothar Charoux, Marta Chilindron, Lygia Clark, Horacio Coppola, Waldemar Cordeiro, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Eduardo Enfelt, Manuel Espinosa, Eugenio Espinoza, Thomaz Farkas, León Ferrari, Ivo Ferreira da Silva, Lucio Fontana, María Freire, Gasper Gasparian, Gego, Mathias Goeritz, Elsa Gramko, Ann Marie Heinrich, Carmen Herrera, Alfredo Hlito, Nelson Kojransk,Judith Lauand, Nelson Leirner, Julio Le Parc, Gerd Leufert, Germán Lorca, Raúl Lozza, Anna Maria Maiolino, Sameer Makarius,