The Azcuy Foundation supports the Argentine artistic community
Photo: Pictured from left-to-right, are Martin Gaudino, Azcuy, Victoria Noorthoorn, Director, Museo de Arte Moderno Buenos Aires, Gerardo Azcuy, Director, Azcuy, Co-Creator Azcuy Award, Diego Bianchi, Award-winner artist, Sol Juarez, Architect and Co-Creator Azcuy Award, Annibal Bormioli, Director, Metrometal, Matias Baldoni, Azcuy.
Azcuy Foundation, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a Major Patron of CIMAM since 2022.
March 2023.
The Azcuy Award is a transformative award that offers development opportunities to Argentine artists.
What proposals are submitted for the award, and what are the award criteria?
The Azcuy Award, created in 2019 in alliance with the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, calls for artists from all over Argentina to intervene each year a different building built by the company.
In each edition, artists from different visual and contemporary arts disciplines, such as painting, photography, sculpture, installations, etc., are presented.
It is a competition of ideas, where year after year, we are surprised by the creativity of artists and their large-scale proposals.
The ideas have to be unpublished and designed especially for that building, and they are free to choose the spaces to intervene within the common areas of the building.
After a selection process of the proposals submitted, carried out by a jury of specialists, seven finalists are chosen.
They will have a second opportunity to deepen their ideas and present them to the jury in a day, at the end of which the winner will be chosen to materialize the work of art in the building.
The selection criteria for the winning works are originality, the relationship with the piece of architecture and the people who live in the building. Another consideration aspect is the work's proposed materiality and aging.
Works of art in public spaces are often highly visible and accessible and can significantly impact culture and urban life. In addition, they can improve city life and encourage culture and creativity.
What is the relationship between art and architectural projects in Buenos Aires, and how does the Azcuy Award contribute to their promotion?
It is something that has been happening in different ways for some time now.
In our case, we want to strengthen that interrelation, so every year, we launch a call to intervene in a different residential building to generate an artistic district within the city.
We decided to create a new promotional scenario so that artists from all over the country can intervene and explore the link between art and architecture, projecting works of art of unusual scale and studying the materiality so that it lasts over time.
We know the unique look of the artists and the added value of intervening a building with a unique work of art.
How is the collaboration with the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, and how do they contribute to the organization of the award and the artistic projects?
Azcuy and the Museum of Modern Art are strategic allies.
The Museum contributes as a great institution with its vast experience, recognition, and trajectory.
In addition, it selects and is part of the jury made up of directors, artists, curators, and teachers, and in each edition, we also have the presence of an international figure. During the different days of the selection of ideas, exciting dialogues are generated between art and architecture.
Are all the works created thanks to the Azcuy Prize located outside architectural enclosures? Is there a collection of works resulting from this prize managed by the Azcuy Foundation or in collaboration with the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires?
The works are or will be located in our residential buildings. In 2022, the work by Diego Bianchi, Mutanti en Donna Terra, winner of the first edition of the Azcuy Award, was inaugurated.
Currently, we have three other awarded works of art that are in the process of realization, and for the second half of the year, we will have the winner of the fifth edition of 2023.
To create a collection for the Azcuy Foundation, we decided to acquire works of art from the finalists of all the editions. We are currently in the process of selecting the first works.
In the future, to deepen the link with the artistic community, we have imagined creating a program to bring works of art to the residents of our buildings by inviting them to artists' workshops, exhibitions, etc.
Can you give us a preview of the art scene in urban spaces that the CIMAM community can enjoy when they travel to Buenos Aires in November? Any recommendations?
The city of Buenos Aires has a vibrant cultural scene all year round.
Concerning contemporary and urban art, several examples of works can be toured such as that of artists: Barbara Kruger, Carlos Huffmann, Jorge Pomar, Irina Kirchuk, among many others.
Note:
The Azcuy Award is co-created by Azcuy (Arq. Gerardo Azcuy and Arq. Sol Juarez) in alliance with the Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires.
Useful links:
→ We are pleased to announce the generous support of the Azcuy Foundation as a Major Patron of CIMAM