Temas Centrales II

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TEOR/éTica, backed by the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo (MADC), organized the seminar Temas Centrales 2, which took place in San José, Costa Rica on April 25th, 26th and 27th, 2012. Parallel to the lectures and talks, MADC hosted an exhibition curated by Tamara Díaz Bringas and featuring works from the Virginia Pérez-Ratton Collection.

With the participation of national, regional and international presenters, Temas Centrales 2 analyzed the region’s current situation from a thematic perspective, referencing specific aspects of the artistic and discursive production of Central America and the Caribbean. The seminar focused on the complex panorama of the first decade of the 21st century, questioning the concept of region through the following: a dialogue between spaces and institutional models that have become catalysts in their pertaining contexts; conversations amongst artists, curators, critics and cultural agitators that contend a more open situation and a certain level of internationalization; a platform for theorizing about the most prominent artistic practices in the region, such as performance; and a revision of the biennial model, fostered by a discussion between curators of certain “tropical biennials” that have modified the paradigm.

In addition to these proposed themes, there was also an open call for entries entitled Temas centrales: modos de uso. This discussion aimed to inquire about those artistic and critical practices that had not had enough articulation or visibility, in such manner that the event itself could serve as a tool for shaping or imagining new “central themes.”

This open call, which did not anticipate any contents beforehand, Temas centrales: modos de uso was conceived as a mechanism for critical intervention that could influence investigative, documental and archival policies in Central America.

All the information about this event can be found online: www.temascentrales.org

The videos from all the interventions can also be found online in our youtube page and in this same page, in the Audiovisual Archive.

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)