Mexican-born curator Pablo León de la Barra’s proposal for The 2012 CPPC Travel Award for Central America and the Caribbean was a project in two parts: a research trip to Nicaragua and an “Intermezzo Tropical,” in an attempt to re-read seminal historical moments in the region that have acquired new relevance in the current political and economical realities. For his Curatorial Hub talk, León de la Barra will reflect on his travels and present his research and findings.
León de la Barra’s research proposal was inspired by Nicaraguan modernist poet Ruben Dario’s 1909 publication “Trip to Nicaragua and Intermezzo Tropical.” His proposed research project focused on a turning point in the relationship between aesthetics and politics in Latin America, represented by Nicaraguan priest, poet, and writer Ernesto Cardenal. The spiritual, political, and artistic experiment led by the priest at the utopian community of Solentiname—established during the dictatorship of Somosa—shed new light on social injustice and promoted a new model for society. Using this as a point of departure for his research, León de la Barra proposed to travel in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, tapping into the region’s artistic scenes and creating future partnerships with artists and initiatives.
León de la Barra was the first recipient of the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) Travel Award for Central America and the Caribbean. The award supports a contemporary art curator based anywhere in the world to travel to Central America and the Caribbean to conduct research about art and cultural activities in the region. More on León de la Barra’s fellowship here.
This event is free and open to the public. To attend, please RSVP to rsvp@curatorsintl.org with PABLO LEON in the subject line. A reception will follow the talk, hosted by Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.
