Florencia Portocarrero

Conference Report. November 2023

Despite the advancements in online communication, it remains a reality that Latin America is a challenging region when it comes to cultivating long-term dialogues among the heterogeneous cultural scenes. In that sense, the 2023 edition of the CIMAM conference, held at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires, provided a unique opportunity to share knowledge, skills, and experiences – while also strengthening collaborative relationships – among cultural agents from different parts of the region and the world.

Certainly, a standout feature of CIMAM that I deeply appreciate is its role as a catalyst for professional inclusivity. Over three days, the conference brought together a diverse array of participants, from museum directors and curators to independent curators, academics, and activists. This gathering holds particular significance as it unites individuals who, despite shaping the artistic milieu, may not typically have the opportunity to discuss or even meet. This environment naturally cultivates a self-reflective and collaborative atmosphere, frequently giving rise to meaningful dialogs that may not occur under more structured or hierarchical circumstances.

In terms of content, I was very happy to hear the speakers reflect on the social role of the art museum. Personally, I enjoyed the first day of the Conference where three highly relevant figures in the art world across the Americas discussed the urgencies of museums in the region. Elvira Espejo Ayca, Director of the Museo de Etnografía y Folklore in La Paz, emphasized the importance of adopting the terminology of indigenous communities to instigate an epistemological shift within cultural institutions. This is particularly relevant given that many museums in Latin America showcase indigenous material culture while still being rooted in a colonial and Eurocentric history. Meanwhile, Pablo Lafuente, Director of the Museo de Arte Moderno in Rio, reflected on the institution's unique identity and how its historical trajectory shapes its current social role. Notably, he stressed the crucial role of maintenance as an essential act of care, especially in a context where cultural institutions often face neglect. Additionally, Cuban American artist Coco Fusco highlighted the transformations of museum funding structures over time, underscoring the need to refine negotiation skills to achieve consensus among its diverse stakeholders, ultimately benefiting the public.

Throughout the conference, valuable dialogues arose regarding the ability of art to impact social life in times of multiple crises, as well as the role that museums can play as channels for such changes. However, one of the moments that will remain engraved in my memory was paradoxically when we left the museum to be part of "Educating the Museum," an experience carefully organized by Alfredo Aracil and other members of the Education Department team at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires. Alongside Alfredo and his colleagues, we visited the Frente de Artistas del Borda, a self-organized and self-financed collective led by Carlos Moretti, which for 40 years has gathered at the Borda psychiatric hospital to use art as a tool for the dignification and deinstitutionalization of the patients. We also visited the Isauro Arancibia School of Struggle, where art serves various functions: a space for coexistence and development for the students, most of whom are homeless, as well as a source of income. In fact, on Wednesday, November 15, an auction of works by artist León Ferrari took place in support of the institution. Both the Frente de Artistas del Borda and the Arancibia School are in a precarious position, and in this context, art is synonymous with struggle, resistance, and hope. As if that weren't enough, we concluded the day with a conversation about the museum and education with Argentinian artists Marina De Caro and Diana Aisenberg.

To conclude, I want to thank the CIMAM Board and Patrons for making my participation – and those of my colleagues – possible. Additionally, I want to express my gratitude to the CIMAM and Museo Moderno teams. Their dedication to bridging the gap between the theoretical aspects of the conference and the guided tours throughout the Argentinian contemporary art scene greatly contributed to transforming the overall experience into a truly remarkable one.

Bio

My name is Florencia Portocarrero and I am a curator based in Lima. With a background in clinical psychology, my research interests lie in rewriting art history from a feminist perspective, exploring subjectivity in the context of neoliberal globalization, and challenging dominant forms of knowledge. My practice intertwines writing, lecturing, and organizing exhibitions and public programs. Between 2008 and 2010, I completed a master's degree in Theoretical Studies in Psychoanalysis at the Universidad Católica del Perú. From 2012 to 2013, I participated in the Curatorial Program of de Appel Arts Centre and, in 2015, I obtained a second master's degree in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths.

I have participated in international conferences at various institutions, including the Salón Nacional de Artistas (Colombia, 2016), the Rietveld Academy Symposium (Stedelijk Museum, 2017), the Saas Fee Summer Institute of Art (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), the MALBA (Buenos Aires, 2022), Austin Contemporary (2023) and the Cisneros Institute at MoMA (upcoming). My writing has been featured in many monographic catalogues and I am a regular contributor to periodicals such as Atlántica, Artishock, and Terremoto. In 2017/2018, I was selected as the recipient of Curating Connections, grant awarded by the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program.

In Lima I have worked as a Public Program Curator at proyectoamil (2015-2019), served as a Curatorial Advisor for the MALI Contemporary Art Acquisitions Committee (2018-2020), curated the emerging galleries section at Pinta PArC (2018-2023) and taught at the MA in Art History and Curating and the MA in Gender Studies at the Universidad Católica (2018-ongoing). Additionally, I am co-founder of Bisagra, an art collective focused on developing socially sensitive artistic projects (2014-present).

Becoming a mother during the pandemic has prompted a redefinition of my practice, emphasizing the importance of interdependence. I view my work as a contribution to a larger ecosystem that involves individuals, collectives, institutions–and the public–tied in mutually dependent relationships. This shift has allowed me to question the individualistic notion of the independent curator, putting collaboration and a passion to sharing knowledge at the core of my practice. In the last few years, I have developed curatorial projects that embody these values, 3 of which I will describe below:

In 2021, with the financial support of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program, with Bisagra I organized the pedagogical project "Programa de destinos y presagios compartidos". The PDPC emerged in response to Lima, a city where programs in contemporary art are nonexistent, and where artists and other agents who have access to international platforms that grant professional legitimacy constitute a minority. Instead of reproducing this exclusionary logic, the PDPC allowed 12 emerging artists and researchers to build a community and expand the boundaries of their work.

Since 2021 I’ve been the curator of “Ser Pallay”, a long-term textile art project that results from the collaboration between “academically trained” textile artists and quechua weaving artists associated to the “Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco”. The main objective of the project –that revolved around the creation contemporary Andean textile iconography–has been to question the aesthetic hierarchies that historically have separated art from craft in Peru. “Ser Pallay” had a first opening at Vigil Gonzalez galería in Cusco in 2021 and second one on 2023 at the ICPNA Cultural Center in Lima.

With Alex Ungprateeb Flynn, María Iñigo Clavo, and Beatriz Lemos, I am coediting a volume titled "Cosmogonies of the Decolonial: Latin American art, future, past and present", to be published by the University College of London Press. My section examines how Latin American museums have embarked on a critical reassessment of the aesthetic and epistemic hierarchies inherited from Eurocentric modernity.