Third Space
17.09.15 – 30.10.15
David Alfaro Siqueiros, Roberto Matta, Roberto Cortázar, Carlos Aguirre, Carmen Parra, Mauricio Garrido, Emiliano Gironella
“Third Space” brings together seminal works from private collections by Latin-American modern masters David Alfaro Siqueiros and Roberto Matta with powerful works by emerging and established contemporary artists
Puerta Roja is proud to announce Third Space, an exhibition proposing a space beyond geographical location and conceptual categorization, a space open to equal dialogues between polarities, a space dedicated to the merging of existing forms in the search of something new.
‘Third Space Theory’ is a postcolonial analysis of cultural identity. A term coined by Hommi Bahbah, it describes the intersecting space between one and another: “It is in this space where we find those words with which we can speak of Ourselves as Others. And by exploring this hybridity, this ‘Third Space’, we may elude the politics of polarity and emerge as the others of ourselves” [1]. In the contemporary climate of globalization our cultural, political and economic landscape has rapidly transformed. We no longer live in independent social systems; instead we enter a world of complex connectivity. In the search for seeing our time we must look through subjective eyes at the void between. Our voyage ventures into a vast field of negotiation, where the only path past conflict is in the never-ending quest for balance.
The exhibition not only searches for in-depth dialogue between past and present, regional cultures and artistic practices; it looks beyond by presenting, concurrently, works by Latin American modern masters from private collections alongside contemporary artists.
Highlights of the exhibition include works by Chilean master Roberto Matta and Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. Matta is a historical figure in 20th century Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism movements. The exhibition presents works from the series Droites Libérées, great examples of the artist’s exploration of the subconscious mind through a language of abstract forms and constantly evolving, multi-dimensional spaces. Made in 1971, the works belong to the artist’s exploration later in his career of different artistic techniques including print making.
David Alfaro Siqueiros is known as one of the founders of Mexican Muralism and a precursor of Abstract Expressionism. Beyond his impressive murals, Siqueiros supported and assisted the movement of contemporary social and political ideals through the production of graphic work. La Femme qui Marche is, however, an unusual work of his latter career. It was made especially for Gerard Cramer, a renowned art dealer and publisher of illustrated books and print editions by artists like Braque, Chagall and Henry Moore. This edition was published as part of Trente ans d’Activité, a celebration of the dealer’s 30 years in the art world. The edition included 11 of the most influential artists of the time that worked with the famous Swiss dealer. The Siqueiros print originally accompanied works by Matisse, Miró, Picasso and Zao Wou-Ki amongst others.
The exhibition will also feature works by contemporary artists such as Roberto Cortázar, Carlos Aguirre, Carmen Parra, Mauricio Garrido and Emilano Gironella. These artists from 3 different generations tirelessly investigate the territory between old and new, the figurative and the abstract; the local and the global. They encourage us to step outside our cultural position and view “Ourselves as Others”.
[1] [Hommi K. Bhabha, The Commitment to Theory, New Formations, No. 5, 1988]
