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Los NFTs no son para tanto
Pero han venido para quedarse
Pau Waelder
Post-it
An Absolutely Modern Criticism
Reformulating the Baudelairean triad.
Javier Montes
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An Absolutely Modern Criticism
Javier Montes
Partial, political, passionate. No doubt about it: that´s how art criticism must be today. Or at least that´s how Baudelaire wanted it a century and a half ago. And any critic who subscribes, like him, that one must always be absolutely modern, will agree in 2021. The interesting thing is that the founder of modern art criticism happened to be an artist who turned the genre into a work of art. Why not? Perhaps it is a way of making a virtue of necessity. Criticism doesn´t matter anymore, they say: it no longer influences the market, nor does it boost or halt an artist’s career. Ok, all the better: let’s make of it, at least, a manifesto. Not a statement: a realization of its possibilities as creative writing. And recreative: affective, inclusive, well written. That might be our absolutely modern way of re-expressing the Baudelairean triad. I was once asked to write a text for an exhibition catalog, and it turned out to be, I was told, “very poetic”. I´m not absolutely sure they meant it as a compliment, but I propose that we decide that it is.
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A statue for the Critic
Talking about Steinbeck, Kierkegaard and Sibelius.
Patricio Pron
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Where are We?
The historical absence of space and time for women in art.
Jennifer Higgie
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Behind the art fact
On the need for the art critic to know the medium.
Elena Vozmediano
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Behind the art fact
Elena Vozmediano
Criticism, by definition and from its very origins in the Salons, has as its object the art that enters the public sphere. And although a good part of that presence occurs in the market sphere, the one with the greatest social impact occurs in artistic institutions. When we analyze an exhibition, a collection, a decision or action that involves the visual arts, it is very convenient to follow the journalistic rule of the 5W: Who, What, Where, When and Why. For me the fifth W is especially important, which is not so common to detect in articles or essays on art. And even more so when what we analyze happens in the institutional public sphere, in which economic interests, political strategies and ideological pressures converge. I believe that critics, at the service of citizens, have the obligation to investigate and explain whether there are extra-artistic factors in the gestation of projects, in order to properly evaluate them and invite the viewer to critically process the always beautiful “promotional information” that he receives.
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The Value of Negative Criticism
Viewers will grow distrustful of art that receives no negative feedback.
Paddy Johnson
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The Value of Negative Criticism
Paddy Johnson
Art is a product. Art criticism exists to help viewers and buyers know how to best spend their time and money. Recognizing this truth provides insight into the role of criticism as an essential component in the marketing of art. Negative criticism offers more than a means of generating website traffic for publishers. Like most products that only have good reviews, viewers and buyers will grow distrustful of art that receives no negative feedback. This applies to any industry, but art has its quirks. The imprimatur of the artist separates art from other types of merchandise. While recognizing faults and making course corrections create a sense of accountability, an artist’s decision to discontinue a series or change its direction in response to negative criticism may be viewed as compromising their vision. Art criticism has limits. Critics don’t have the power to restructure systems of value and knowing this should give us all some measure of comfort. We’re part of a machine that if viewed with a marketing mindset, should allow us to capitalize not just on the positive reviews, but the negative ones too.
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Persistencia y Resistencia
Comandar un medio de arte en Latinoamérica y no morir en el intento.
Alejandra Villasmil
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Arte Crítico en Cuba
Suspiros poéticos bailando el Guaguancuir, acerca de la represión en la isla.
Tamara Díaz Bringas
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Bienvenidos a la Plataforma
Queremos invitarte a que mires al fenómeno artístico desde una mirada distinta.