"Can Major Dwarf", Sequins set with nails on mdf. 216 x 163 x 3 cm. 2021

"Small Magellanic Cloud", Sequins set with nails on mdf. 153 x 183 x 3 cm, 2021

"Large Magellanic Cloud", Sequins set with nails on mdf. 186 x 153 x 3 cm, 2021

The dialogue stems from the words written a century ago by Galileo Galilei: "Dialogue on the two highest systems of the Ptolemaic and Copernican world", a phrase that determined the astronomer's future. For his thoughts, Galileo suffered a painful trial established by the Inquisition that culminated in his execution. Gustavo Nieto, in his works that took him four years to produce, tries to cipher the Galileo that lives in him, that almost obsessive curiosity for the world around him. The artist proposes a connection with the universe and infinity from the concept of love.

The exhibition welcomes the visitor in an intimate atmosphere with moss green walls and dim lights, creating a sense of tranquility and comfort. The galaxy works are characterized by a lysergic look that quickly attracts the visitor's attention. This maximalist aesthetic is intensified by the large size of the works that allows one to see in detail this universe created by Nieto. But in addition to the striking galaxies, the artist also created a series of interventions on porcelain plates and figures, and a large canvas made with nails and sequins that extends over an entire wall with the phrase: "Do you remember our pact to die together?".

"Do you remember our pact to die together?", Text painting on textile. 250 x 200 x 4 cm. 2021.

Untitled, Intervention on porcelain plates. 40 x 18 x 2,5 cm, 2016

Untitled, Intervention on antique porcelain fgures on stainless steel shelf. 40 x 24 x 20 x 20 cm, 2016.

Nieto's proposal goes beyond his individual idea and colorful works. The glitter, the sequins, or the collage are part of a trend that leans towards the naive and almost childish kitsch, and that was configuring an aesthetic of Argentine art. Those techniques and resources from which the artist nourishes himself are based on an anti-academic and anachronistic style that reflects the obstinate presence of the school manualism of local art. This tradition may or may not be capricious, but it demonstrates the parallel path that Argentine artists took concerning global trends at different times. While the great discourses of art were always built by first-world countries, Argentines knew how to differentiate themselves and create a more self-referential art, more related to DIY, decorative and naive.

The exhibition is a perfect demonstration of the work of PASTO, a gallery that aims to disseminate Latin American contemporary art. Buenos Aires as a venue works as a fundamental platform for the encounter and diffusion of divergent practices and looks, taking into account that it is a developing market. Experimentation and dialogue are the basis of all the projects presented in this gallery.

 

The most captivating aspect of this exhibition is Cucurto's path as an artist. Born in 1973 under the name Santiago Vega, Cucurto was a supermarket worker who began to play at being someone else he invented. This is how his first stories and poems were born more than 20 years ago. According to the author, most of his works come from the imagination. In fact, on more than one occasion he has said that his pseudonym has freed him to create stories, stories that he often imagined. Cucurto fits in with the crowd, but Santiago is a shy man. Santiago does not know how to dance, nor has he been to Paraguay or the Dominican Republic.

Cucurto -and Santiago too- became cult writers among young people. But after falling victim to the harsh economic and political situation in Argentina, Cucurto began to create small collages in a self-taught way with found objects, such as paper, cardboard, chalk, or wrappers. The artist found a new way to express himself. His works have a grotesque and visually chaotic aesthetic and are nothing more than an extension of the fictional world he has been building in his literature.

Noorthoorn, who is also the museum's director, was in charge of selecting some of Cucurto's many works from his dizzying production of the last four years. Although his art is inventive and joyful, the pieces reflect the points of tension between the upper and lower classes, between Anglo and Latin America. Hanging on walls painted bright red, the works are distributed in various spaces of the museum. From the hall to other exhibition participations or the room located on the top floor, visitors are surprised when they least expect it with expressive and cheeky compositions.

The informal character of the tour is maintained throughout the entire proposal. The exhibition is designed to introduce visitors to Cucurto as a new artist. Instead of the typical long and complex curatorial texts, the curatorship chose to work in conjunction with the artist's ideas, without burdening the writing with theory. Therefore, the friendly texts that run through the exhibition reflect Cucurto's voice, generating a spirit of closeness with the visitor.

"Todo es Ficción" 
Location: Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Av. San Juan 350, C1147 AAO, Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Opening Date: 9th September 2021
End Date: 28th February 2022
Working hours: Monday: 11am to 7pm
Wednesday-Friday: 11am to 7pm
Saturday-Sunday: 11am to 8pm

Official website:
https://museomoderno.org/
https://www.instagram.com/modernoba/

Looking at a series of works signed by Geanina, such as those that illustrate this material, we can see a graphic that denotes its own poetics, with an accentuated imaginary tint and a vivid chromatic. In other words, we find in her graphics the fragments of fairytale worlds. She then followed this aspect with a predilection for the master's degree, in the 3D graphics she made for the animation short films she had to prepare for the courses and then as a final project of the dissertation. Geanina and her colleagues were the first generation of graphic designers from UNAGE Iași who studied 3D Amination at the master's program in Graphics. The practical part of Geanina's dissertation was a short episode from a fairy tale, a story made entirely by her, both practical and conceptual. For this material she provided me with some frames from the video.

Frames from a 3D animation made by Geanina Zaharia

 
But before the master's degree, Geanina's graphics were strictly in line with the rules of traditional graphics. She made numerous compositions in pencil, pen and watercolor. Her works always had complex compositions, on which she worked meticulously, for hours, on which she always returned a few times to retouch or add new elements. I can say all this as an “eyewitness”, because I often watched her while she was working, being her roommate for a few years at the faculty. So I know her closely as a friend and as an artist. Geanina is a very detailed, meditative graphic designer who puts a lot of effort into everything she does. Her physical and inner beauty is reflected in every graphic composition she has made so far. To try to get to know her, even in the case of those who have not met her physically, it is enough to see her graphics. A truth valid for every artist. If you know how to look, the art in front of you will reveal a lot about the person behind it - the time of composition, the chromatics, the favorite subjects, the artistic manner, all are indications of the artist's intention and his psychology.

For the past two years, Geanina has worked almost entirely on digital and 3D graphics. In fact, she custom-makes individual, couple or family portraits, book illustrations, company logos and personalized wedding invitations with portraits. Her artist portfolio can be viewed on the international platform www.behance.net/geaninam94art, where you can see more samples of her graphics.