This December, Art Basel is partnering with curator Philipp Kaiser and The Kitchen, one of New York City’s most historic non-profit spaces, to present a new version of ‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’ by Abraham Cruzvillegas. The multidisciplinary installation has been adapted specifically for Miami Beach and will combine elements of sculpture, performance, dance and music. The work, which is supported by MGM Resorts Art & Culture, will be presented in the newly designed Grand Ballroom at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) and will be free and open to the public. Art Basel, whose Lead Partner is UBS, takes place at the MBCC from December 6 to December 9, 2018.
‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’ builds on Abraham Cruzvillegas’ working methodology of autoconstrucción (self-construction). Originally presented in front of a small audience at Pista, an abandoned dance space in Colonia Roma, Mexico City, the installation and performance premiered in the United States at The Kitchen last April (organized by Tim Griffin and Rachel Valinsky). In its basic parts, ‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’ initially consists of an assemblage created in the vein of Cruzvillegas’ sculptures, constructed using materials found in the immediate vicinity of the venue during the weeks leading up to the project’s public presentation. The resulting sculptural object is suspended in an open space, and performances take place at select times, created by Cruzvillegas’ collaborator on the project, choreographer and co-author Bárbara Foulkes, with dancers and musicians in improvisation, echoing Andrés García Nestitla’s direction for this year’s earlier iteration at The Kitchen.
The idea of ‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist…’ was born from Cruzvillegas’ experience of his parents building their family home using found materials, which evolved over time according to immediate necessity and opportunity. This fundamental part of the artist’s practice is also influenced by the collaborative building process undertaken by dwellers of improvised urban settlements around the world – favelas, barrios, slums or shanti towns – who rely on recycled and scavenged materials to ingeniously, but often precariously, respond to their rapidly changing living situations.
On the concept, Abraham Cruzvillegas says, ‘Autoconstrucción is about scarcity, solutions and ingenuity… how you can conceive a philosophy of life that you can make something out of nothing. That is also a metaphor for identity… we are constantly transforming ourselves.’
Philipp Kaiser says, ‘The new ballroom at the MBCC brings enormous possibilities to Art Basel, creating a vibrant platform for ambitious installations as well as performance that didn't have a proper place until now. ‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’ by Abraham Cruzvillegas is the perfect work to be shown in this context, and I am thrilled that we were able to work with The Kitchen on bringing this instrumental work of an institutional scale to Miami Beach.’
‘Cruzvillegas’s work with Foulkes and Nestitla is absolutely remarkable for the social, psychological and political relationships it makes clear among people, objects and sites, making him one of the timeliest and most resonant artists today’, says Tim Griffin Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Kitchen. ‘It’s an honor to work with Art Basel to bring this collaboration to a larger audience in Miami Beach.’
Noah Horowitz, Art Basel's Director Americas, remarks, ‘We are thrilled to partner with the pioneering nonprofit The Kitchen to introduce ‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’ by Abraham Cruzvillegas to our audiences this December. The sheer scale of the Grand Ballroom and its immediate proximity to the show floor give us unprecedented opportunities for presenting ambitious artistic projects that go far beyond the limits of the conventional art fair stand. In combination with the new floorplan and show design that we introduced last year as a result of the ongoing renovations of the MBCC, this project heralds an exciting new chapter for Art Basel in Miami Beach.’
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