art installation
Kuitca 86 at MALBA: A Journey to Guillermo Kuitca's Key Year
April 02, 2025 | nadiaevangelina
The exhibition “Kuitca 86. De Nadie olvida nada a Siete últimas canciones” at MALBA offers a deep dive into a crucial stage of Guillermo Kuitca's career. It focuses on 1986, a period of intense experimentation and transformation in his work. Kuitca's artistic career, widely recognized internationally, stands out for exploring space, memory, and cartography, fusing elements of theater, architecture, and abstraction.
The exhibition brings together 77 pieces, including paintings and iconic series such as “Nadie olvida nada” (1982), “El mar dulce” (1983), and “Siete últimas canciones” (1986), along with a selection of drawings and documents. These works evidence Kuitca's evolution from the representation of the human figure to a more abstract exploration of space and visual narrative.
A highlight is the presentation of “From 1 to 30,000,” a 1980 work never before exhibited in Argentina. In it, Kuitca, at the age of 19, inscribed consecutive numbers until he reached the estimated number of people who disappeared during the military dictatorship. This piece reflects the artist's sensitivity to the socio-political context of the time and his ability to translate it into a moving artistic language.
The curatorship, in charge of Sonia Becce and Nancy Rojas, emphasizes 1986 as a turning point in Kuitca's career. According to Becce, this period represents “a sort of beginning of Kuitca's Big Bang,” where the young artist began to develop his own highly experimental language.
The exhibition also highlights Kuitca's relationship with theater, evidenced in series such as “Nadie olvida nada” and “El mar dulce,” which share titles with plays he directed in the 1980s. This connection underscores the influence of the performing arts on his pictorial approach, fusing the domestic with the dramatic and creating atmospheres that invite introspection.
“Kuitca 86” is not a conventional retrospective; it is a focused exploration that allows the viewer to enter a key moment in Kuitca's artistic evolution, understanding the roots of his visual language and his impact on contemporary Latin American art.
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| Guillermo Kuitca, "El beso que me dabas en Odesa" (1984) |
The exhibition brings together 77 pieces, including paintings and iconic series such as “Nadie olvida nada” (1982), “El mar dulce” (1983), and “Siete últimas canciones” (1986), along with a selection of drawings and documents. These works evidence Kuitca's evolution from the representation of the human figure to a more abstract exploration of space and visual narrative.
A highlight is the presentation of “From 1 to 30,000,” a 1980 work never before exhibited in Argentina. In it, Kuitca, at the age of 19, inscribed consecutive numbers until he reached the estimated number of people who disappeared during the military dictatorship. This piece reflects the artist's sensitivity to the socio-political context of the time and his ability to translate it into a moving artistic language.
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| Guillermo Kuitca, "Tres Noches" (1986) |
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| Guillermo Kuitca, "Yo, como el Ángel" (1985) |
The curatorship, in charge of Sonia Becce and Nancy Rojas, emphasizes 1986 as a turning point in Kuitca's career. According to Becce, this period represents “a sort of beginning of Kuitca's Big Bang,” where the young artist began to develop his own highly experimental language.
The exhibition also highlights Kuitca's relationship with theater, evidenced in series such as “Nadie olvida nada” and “El mar dulce,” which share titles with plays he directed in the 1980s. This connection underscores the influence of the performing arts on his pictorial approach, fusing the domestic with the dramatic and creating atmospheres that invite introspection.
“Kuitca 86” is not a conventional retrospective; it is a focused exploration that allows the viewer to enter a key moment in Kuitca's artistic evolution, understanding the roots of his visual language and his impact on contemporary Latin American art.
 |
| Guillermo Kuitca, "Siete últimas canciones" (1986) |
 |
| Nicolás Beraza, "Kuitca 86" (2024) |
"Kuitca 86"
Location: Malba, Junín 1930, Av. Pres. Figueroa Alcorta 3415, C1425CLA CABA, Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Opening Date: 14th March 2025
End Date: 16th June 2025
Working hours: Wednesday- Monday: 12pm to 8pm
Official website:
Mentioned Artist:
