In these dark times, the multidisciplinary exhibition “Art at play” and the augmented reality experience “A panorama of this world” are playful approaches to art. These new exhibits underscore the importance of play as a means of communication and a source of inspiration for many artists. They lift the spirit and invite to play, to think, to nostalgia. They are intended both for the observation and participation of connoisseurs and the general public.
THE REINVENTION
Curated by Rodrigo Alonso, “Art in play” displays works by more than 80 contemporary Argentine creators of different generations and sensitivities. They work in a wide variety of media: painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, interactive art, appropriate and reinvented toys and games.
In Room 1, for example, Daniel Joglar made an installation that makes you want to take a break. It is a large mural that covers several walls with mind game boards, toys attached to the wall and a showcase with cars and old figures, such as a wooden bunny.
The pieces of Room 2 Some traditional games are reviewed, from a broken seesaw (“Platz”), by Jorge Macchi, to renewed boards with a mystical tint (“Tablero I Ching”, by Xul Solar) or a critical tone, such as “Proletarian Chess”, by Edgardo Anthony Vigo. While in the serigraphs of the “Juego de Manos” series, Matilde Marín mimics an ancient form of entertainment that consists of manipulating threads that touch, get tangled up and move away, the group Oligatega Numeric starts up a “Ghost Train” that runs alone along the tracks, with a locomotive that carries a camera that records its passage and projects the images on a monitor for everyone to see. The figures woven with faceted and interlocking acrylic beads of “Solo-10”, by Román Vitali, are an example of the many works inspired by dolls.
in room 3, Valeria Calvo’s mural painting guides the visitor to a space dedicated to works inspired by solo or team competitive sports, such as soccer in the painting by Elsa Soibelman, boxing in the photo by Marcos López (“Boxeador”) or the Billiards on the life-size table modified by Nicolás Guagnini, in the manner of an irregular framed painting by Raúl Lozza. The youngest jump in hopscotch (“Rayuelarte”) by Marta Minujín or participate deciding shapes and combinations in “Play the game”, by Marcela Gásperi.
In the last place, in Room 4 Above all, technological and participatory pieces are displayed, such as the interactive robotic installation “Bambi-Bot”, by Laura Palavecino, with a “bambi” moving to the sound of a xylophone operated by children, or the video games in the animations “Cartonero” I and II by Stanislaus Florid. The installation “Mirtha is you”, by Lolo and Lauti, evokes the world of television and celebrities: sitting at the head of the most famous table, visitors are captured by a camera that places them in the place of Mirtha Legrand with your guests. In “I remember” (suggests the story “Funes el memorioso” by Borges), by Leo Nuñez, you can type in an old typewriter phrases that, through software, are radiated on an LED screen and are “remembered”. ” the next day.
THEY SEE AND THEY DON’T SEE
In the second show presented by Proa, art and technology come together in works specially designed as digital content. They are pieces by seven international artists in augmented reality (technology that superimposes virtual elements on the vision of the real environment), selected by Daniel Birnbaum and Solana Chehman. They are experienced through the cell phone and an app, and during exhibition hours there are guides facilitating orientation and digital devices to view them.
Some QR codes are the only clue to perceive, among other pieces and until March 12, the proposal by Julie Curtiss, “Lune”. She is a woman’s figure that cannot be seen from the front and that moves when she tries to get around her. She also walks menacingly the magnificent great spider of Tomas Saraceno (“Maratus Speciosus”) on the path of Proa. As of the 12th, three more artists are added: Lu Yang, who impresses with “Giant DOKU”, his digital avatar, a gigantic dancing superhero; Koo Jeong A’s “Density,” a huge ice cube by the Creek; and “Imaginary friend”, a Buddha on the Foundation building, by Nina Chanel Abney.
Finally, the works of Olafur Eliasson and “Holiday Space”, by KAWS, will be on display until the 30th. The exhibition was organized by Acute Art, London and Fundación Proa.