"ARCO'02"
2002-02-14 until 2002-02-19
ARCO 2002
Madrid, , ES Spain

Over the last few years, in contemporary art theory circles, a debate has arisen once again regarding one of the most conflictive issues that Western aesthetics has faced since the birth of the historic avant-garde movements. This reflection on the centres of power and their relationship with the so-called peripheral cultures, as well as the analysis of such ambiguous terms as innovation, progress, evolution, or advance, have led, if not to conclusive solutions, at least to some interesting ideas. The goal of ARCO 2002 is to address these issues and explore these ideas.

Exhaustive analyses have already been made of the problematic relationship that the more economically developed countries or social groups have maintained with other cultural expressions, to reach the conclusion that not only were artistic experiences such as Cubism or Expressionism responsible for promoting a biased image of those expressions, but that this confusion was also generated by the discourse of academics, economists, and anthropologists who, in their defence of a lineal evolution of humanity, labelled uncivilised peoples as primitives or as yet undeveloped.

Because this evidently short-sighted view, which led to the loss of endless creative and mythological possibilities, took a long time to be responsibly accepted as such, the 20th century persisted, throughout the Modernist period, in misinterpreting the creative expressions of those cultures, based fundamentally in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

Galleries

250 galleries of Modern, Contemporary, Emerging and Experimental Art (paintings, sculpture, installations, photography, video and new media art, edition, drawings and multiples): 100 Spanish Galleries and 150 Foreign Galleries.

net.space@arco

Special installations will be available for galleries, specialised publications, and private and corporate contemporary art institutions to present their websites and offer online information about their collections and services. Other websites presenting services for Contemporary Art Galleries will also be eligible.

The 20th Century Revisited

Renowned galleries exhibiting Modern Masters from the first half of the century.

Proyecto Salas

Institutional and Corporate Collections.

Specialised Press

Art Magazines. Special and Alternative Editions. Art Bookstores. CD-Rom Editions. Online Magazines.

INVITATIONALS (Curated Programmes)

SPECIAL GUEST COUNTRY, AUSTRALIA

A selection of Australian galleries and art magazines

Thursday 14th February: A series of lectures and panel discussions in which artists, curators, art critics, art collectors and museum directors will focus on the current Australian contemporary art scene.

PROJECT ROOMS: BORDERS

Salah Hassan, Rosa Martínez and Octavio Zaya will select 27 site-specific works presented by as many artists/galleries.

CUTTING EDGE INVITATIONALS

52 Non-Spanish galleries with avant-garde proposals, selected by prestigious curators for the following Programmes:

Asian Party, Global Game II - Curated by Hou Hanru
Cityscapes: Paris-Berlin-New
York-Tokyo - Curated by Jérôme Sans, Klaus Biesenbach, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Fumio Nanjo
Critical Undercurrents: USA - Curated by Steven Rand
Crossroads -Galleries from several parts of the world selected by Rafael Doctor
Migrations to/from the Caribbean - Mª Inés Rodríguez and Antonio Zaya, in collaboration with Victor Zamudio Taylor will select galleries from Central America and the Caribbean
Between the Commercial and the Alternative -- Galleries selected by Paula Toppila

Altadis Public Art / Open Spaces

An exhibition area indoors (pavilions 7 and 9) and outdoors (1,500 sq.m. approx.) will feature sculptures and installation works presented at ARCO by galleries from Spain and around the world selected by Nicolas Bourriaud and Jérôme Sans.

SIMULTANEOUSLY

Panel Discussions Programmes developed by prestigious artists, curators, art collectors and museum directors, who will present their latest projects and debate major issues: On Art in Australia Now; New Attitudes Towards Art Collecting: in Museums, Private & Corporate, Photography and New Media; Art, Architecture and Space; Curatorial Practice Today; New Art Spaces; Museums on the Web; Art and Feminism; Emerging Selectors in the Spanish Contemporary Art Scene; Artists Talks; Art and Art Critics; Migrations to/from The Caribbean Sea; Public Art.

Major Collectors at ARCO

A specific social programme for eminent contemporary art collectors invited to the Fair.

The ARCO Foundation

The Foundation will continue to acquire artworks at this next edition of the Fair, with a budget higher than ever in order to add major pieces to its holdings, already one of the most important collections of its kind in Spain.

Photographic Glimpses. Photography Collection of the Amigos de ARCO Association A group of Australian, French and Spanish photographers will offer their personal visions of ARCO02. These photographs will then form part of the ARCO Photography Collection.

Social Programme

All the citys a Fair: during ARCO, Madrid offers a wide variety of social programmes for all of its participants.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Spain

Other Important Exhibitions in Spain