Angora 1 vs Angora 2: When Scenesters get Distracted

imágenes de Angora 2 en Noctambulo

ANGORA 2 :When Scenesters get Distracted part 2
April 12-26 2008
at an abandoned building in front of the Town Square, Caguas



Expectations was running high for this year's installment of Angora. Conventional wisdom assured us that this was going to be the best show from the numerous parallel events surrounding Circa. But unlike last years collective aggressiveness and conscious disregard for the art market, the new edition proved that the innocence and punch got lost along the way. What happened? First thing we noticed was that half of the original line up was absent, including some of the creators of the best pieces from last year. Sadly for Angora but great in general is that many of the artist are in grad school outside of the island. As consequence curators made a mistake by patching up the missing pieces with a group of artist not known for their collaborative approach. Not helping either was the space, a former department store that although impressive and huge, lacked the charisma, weirdness, and flexibility from the past site. As a result instead of producing a mammoth event Angora ended up being just another group show with no concept to support it.

Frances Gallardo was one of many artists viewers caught installing late during the weekend, not only at Angora but in pretty much every other show. This disregard for professionalism and commitment is a factor that could be attributed to artist naively spreading themselves thin participating in multiple exhibitions, in and outside the fair, in desperate hope for exposure. 

(My recommendation to young artists for next year is to choose wisely ONE exhibition to participate and present a series of  strong works instead of one half- ass piece here and there. Not being ready on time works against you because it makes it hard for us, the art crowd, to distinguish what your work is about. Even more when aiming to impress a transitory art crowd that's high from the festivities and that has mental fatigue from all the art they have already seen in a limited timeframe). 

Despite the tardiness Gallardo shows skill and guts and comes out on top with her drawn out fitting rooms resembling paper podiums for narcissistic politicians.

Quintin Rivera-Toro caught our attention with a multi channeled video installation where his face is ever present reciting what seemed to be complaint letters to city hall. Noisy like a preachy grandma on a rocking chair the piece is funny because Quintin, who is considered by many a smooth talker and "principito," pokes fun at himself publicly and that is a good thing. From his varied production we like this line of work. 

Dealing with traditional media was Omar Velázquez with an excellent and well crafted xilography of a junkie living the moment. Presented as an altar piece the zombie looking character is a strong visual that hits the mark.

Of the few installations addressing the awkward spaces was W&N 's desk drowning in a pool of colorful plastic balls. Here the artists juxtapose traditional educational systems with entertainment.

Consensus had it that the best installation of show was a product of chance, not art, as exemplified by the retro poster being cooled off by industrial fans. If you don't believe me ask my posse that night: Walter Robinson from Artnet and Joel Weinstein of Rotund World.

And close in second place was an intelligent statement by Nicole Rodriguez, who produced in the form of a overblown receipt, with paper clip and all, Einstein's 1939 letter to FDR, (in association with Leo Szilard), justifying the need to experiment with nuclear power before Nazi Germany got a hold of it. Rodríguez successfully trivializes the historical document revealing the contradictions of moral values when life is not black and white but shades of gray.

"I'd like to teach the world to"... not make any more Coca Cola based art. I know, we know, the sub-text with Coke art is always going to be third world status exotic minorities pushed by the evil empire. This is identity art at its most generic.

Making the most out of the stuff found in site was Norma Vila,  who kicked ass once again recycling found daily time clock cards in a large installation that had the cards, flowing like water from a broken pipe, originating from a working sewing machine. I find Vila's piece extraordinary because we can make an attempt at juxtaposing the idea of the sweatshops to the treatment of local artist by few collectors who own successful department stores but beg for huge discounts and pay pennies when buying local art-not when buying the Germans.

Site specific art can be problematic when it becomes "too" specific as shown by these prints/posters with its obvious critique on commercialization and capitalism inside what was Marianne department store. Once again, Angora didn't have a list of works accessible, so we couldn't identify the artist on this picture.

Sadly Angora 2 was too cute, mainstream, simple and bland. In cinema, trilogies usually stumble in the second outing, only to recover in the third. We hope better in the future and join those in the scene that already calling for an Angora 3 during this coming summer. Angora owes it to its fans.