On the centenary of the birth of Argentinean writer Julio Cortázar, we have decided to develop, both as an artistic initiative and as a tribute to the author, an exhibition that brings an aspect of his literature to the field of contemporary visual arts.
Specifically, we refer to the concept of open artwork, addressed in multiple pieces of his authorship, where through maps scattered within the text, Cortázar gets to grant the reader the opportunity to choose his own ending and meaning of the work.
As an author, Cortázar deeply expanded the horizons of Latin American literature tradition. His writings, many of them marked in the context of the Latin American Boom, created a new possibility of reading, breaking the canons of magical realism, unfolding temporal linearity and initiating interrogations about the true understanding of the real and the fantastic. The characters in his stories acquire autonomy and psychological depth through the use of multiple perspectives, narrative voices and challenging neologisms. One of Cortázar texts that best raises this polysemy making possible different significances in their interpretation is “Continuidad de los parques” (Continuity of the parks) (“Final del juego” (End of the game),Editorial Sudamericana, 1964).
Our proposal outlines a creative system for these “three dialectic realities” suggested by the author, the reality of the main character, the one of the lovers and ours as (real) readers. Each of the artists worked on Cortázar writings appropriating his discourse by unique plastic or visual languages looking to account for the multiple ways in which the viewer reacts to the surrounding space. Three site-specific artworks are located in the space of Cafe Proa. Each one rises timeless to the paradigm shifts and cultural concepts, focusing mainly in the vision of the artists as participants’ subjects. We propose an open definition of the artworks installed in the space, encouraging visitors to develop their own interpretation by the text “Continuity of the parks”. As in Cortázar’s short story, the installations will not constitute a unique understanding but a field of possibilities, an invitation to choose different prospects for appreciation.
Laeticia Mello
