Photo by Argentinian Marcos López
Madrid, 16 May 2007
Dear Saatchi readers,
Roundabout a month ago - from 30 March to 2 April- we celebrated the second edition of CIRCA PR - www.circapr.com - the international art fair in the Caribbean and Central America.
This is my second year involved with CIRCA PR. For two years ago I could hardly imagine myself at an art fair in the Caribbean. Hardly a place synonymous with contemporary art, Puerto Rico is more known for reggeaton and Daddy Yankee, Ocean Drive, Barrilito Rum... or the Condado.
Charles Júhasz, "Polillax200"
But let me share my experience with you at CIRCA PR, an intimate art fair where this year again a great group of gallerists, collectors, curators and artists gathered together with exciting and diverse works: Puertorican Charles Júhasz's "Polillax200" - large wooden cut-out models perched upon conga drums - at CR3Ma Gallery (PR); also from San Juan, young rising star Melvin Martínez with his wedding cake sculpture playing salsa at Walter Otero Gallery (PR), who has an exhibition coming up at Yvon Lambert Gallery in NY; Argentinian Marcos López at Colombian Fernando Pradilla Gallery; German Peter Schmitt with his amazing computerized tree "004:3" at Space Other from Boston; and Cuban artist ANTUAN with his simple but incisive "Left or Right" installation at Hardcore Gallery from Miami where people could punch Bush, Castro, or Chavez in the face; and good works by David Lachapelle at Galeria BND from Milan... just to mention a few. Even the Governor - el Honorable Anibal Acevedo Vila as they say in Spanish - from PR showed up at the opening!
ANTUAN, 'Left or Right', 2007
Melvin Martínez's wedding cake sculpture playing salsa
Two curated exhibitions in the section 'In the Spot' were among the highlights of the fair. I truly understand that art fairs can and must be curated as they are a magnificent platform for exploring curatorial issues. This idea of "instant curating" addressed by In the Spot proposes a concept-based exhibition with works exhibited at the fair. Invited curator Amanda Coulson came up with 'Re-imagining Identity' which included work by Filippo Tirado, Favián Vergara, Josué Pellot, and Rafael Tufiño and reflected on Caribbean identity; Silvia Karman Cubiñá conceived 'Conjugaciones', showcasing works by ANTUAN, Nikki Lee, and Aaron Salabarría, dealing with issues such as transformation, flux or simulation.
'In the Spot' curator Silvia Karman Cubiñá (left) and Paco Barragán, artistic director Circa Pr (middle)
Peter Schmitt's computerized tree "004:3"
Besides, I consider it important and honest to reflect on the contradictions of curators getting more involved with art fairs. And in this same sense, the panel organized by the Escuela de Artes Plásticas "The dark side of the force: The role of the curator at an art fair" was very pertinent. It was chaired by art critic Haydée Venegas, with the participation of curator Amanda Coulson, artist César Martínez, president of AICA Henry Meyric Hughes, and myself. It allowed me to exchange ideas about what a "curated art fair" is, as more and more art fairs promote themselves these days as curated art fairs while they are not!
Not too many people are aware of the important group of private collectors that has emerged in Puerto Rico over the last 10 years. Collections mirroring both local and international trends are being established by Diana and Moisés Berezdivin, María and Alberto de la Cruz, César Reyes, Margarita Serapión and John Belk, Rosalía and Humberto Ugobono, Milly and Chilo Andreu.
In cooperation with these collectors and in hommage to Jan Hoet's 'Chambres d'Amis' (1986), we conceived the section "Chambres des Collecteurs". Some of the private houses visited this year included the María Olga y Ramón Luis Lugo Collection with works by Immendorf, Beuys, Neo Rauch, and Damien Hirst; the María and Alberto de la Cruz Collection with works by Jonathan Meese, Polke, Oehlen, and Murakami; and finally, the Millie and Chilo Andreu Collection with works by Puertorican established and emerging artists like Pepón Osorio, Charles Júhasz-Alvarado, Dzine, Allora & Calzadilla, and Melvin Martínez.
In parallel to the fair were a number of exhibitions including "Appropriation, Authority and Authenticity" at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, organized by Miami curator Silvia Karman Cubiñá, which featured works by Wade Guyton and Kelley Walker, Seth Price, Josh Smith, and Aaron Young from the private collections of María and Alberto de la Cruz, Mara and Javier Méndez or Tita and Mark Green.
There was also a good exhibition at Espacio 1414 - the exhibition space of private collectors Diana and Moisés Berezdivin - entiteld 'Globalization: Indications/Secondary effects/Warnings', curated by Julieta González, with works by Nicola López, Antoni Muntadas, Hélio Oiticica, Martha Rosler, Cao Fei and Dan Graham.
Well, I really enjoyed CIRCA PR, especially coming from Spain, although PR is practically bilingual Spanish-English. The Puerto Ricans surely know how to make us feel at home: the sun shining all the time while in Europe the weather is lousy, good reggeaton by Calle 13 while I enjoyed a glass of barrilito rum at Rumba...
Log into our website www.circapr.com and see it for yourself. I'm sure it is an experience you won't want to miss next year.
As the slogan of our main sponsor Rones de Puerto Rico says: Come for the arts, stay for the Rum!
See you in San Juan!
Paco Barragán
Artistic Director
CIRCA PR
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