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Michelangelo Pistoletto is the “orchestra conductor”, one of the founders of arte povera and a social activist of singular lineage. A seminal figure in the participation of art in political and social life, Pistoletto has been developing performances, sculptures, mirror works and interventions for 60 years in an attempt to achieve, through different means, a better understanding of the ideas he manifests. He has developed a theory on the need to reinvent democracy, religion, art and science in order to respond to the challenges of the modern world that test these concepts. Named Demopractice, it is a call to action, to place destiny in the hands of society, not through representation but through a method that allows us to realize the essential sense of democracy. His ideas have acquired a deep resonance in the current context of a paradigm shift in social values.

For BIENALSUR, we have given ourselves to a unique initiative to embody Pistoletto’s body of work in various places in the City of Buenos Aires, from the iconic Third Paradise in La Boca, to the Uffizi Porte in the MUNTREF and the Venus de los Trapos in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Forums, performances and debates are also being organized around the need to promote certain social practices. The opportunity offered by these exhibitions is summed up in a question that cross-examines the fragmentation of these times and our ability to respond with proposals of fresh ideas to the principles of our civilization. It has to do with faith in creativity, responsibility that is again in the hands of citizens, respect for diversity and the harmonization of our relationship with the environment.

At the age of 85, Pistoletto is a restless activist who continues to develop and propose new ideas, based on logic and philosophy. His works express a surprising simplicity, in which he seeks to synthesize complex philosophical models into powerful forms that interact with the spectator in an immersive manner. Because of his talent for transmitting an idea about a parallel way of thinking and transforming it into a work of art with the power of convocation, Pistoletto infuses an air of freshness into the vicious circle of the contemporary art world.

Artist: Michelangelo Pistoletto (ITA)

MUNTREF Headquarters Immigrant Hotel

From 25 June to 30 November

Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00 hs.

Av Antártida Argentina (between Dirección Nacional de Migraciones and Buquebus). Entrance by Naval Post. Puerto Madero.