January - March 2004	bistart reloaded 10
Sotheby s and ArteBA Between silence and violence by Anabella Sanchez			Victor Grippo, Analogía IV (III), 1972, Wood, canvas, acrylic, and metal, 32 1/16 x 37 1/8 x 23 1/4 in.
From the 15th to the 20th of this month, the exhibit entitled "Between silence and violence" organized by the ArteBA Foundation was on view at the world famous auction house, Sotheby s. The exhibit, curated by Mercedes Casanegra with the collaboration of collectors, critics and curators specialized in Latin American art, was surprising because of the selection of works, which was not based on the traditionalist taste for folklore regionalisms which outside the country are considered "Argentine" art. This joint effort was evident in a display of conceptual works produced between 1965 and 2002 by twelve internationally renowned Argentine artists. The chosen pieces were developed according to two trends that were popular during those years: defining Argentine art in contrast to productions from neighboring countries, and placing it on the global front as contemporary art, associating it to global events such as the Vietnam war or situations of violence, such as those that occurred in this country in the 70s. The twelve participating artists are: Luis Benedit, who used scientific methods to create systems evidencing his interest in nature and ecology, as well as a contrast between what is natural and that which is artificial; Oscar Bony, whose work is based on Dadaist ideas denying the established order through the use of photography as a means of expression continuously reformulating the artistic creation; Alberto Heredia, whose creations in cheap materials strongly depicted censorship in the 70s; Jorge Macchi, constantly inquisitive of signs in daily contexts; Norberto Gómez, creator of biomorphic and tortured sculptures symbolizing pain and violence; Victor Grippo, who uses the characteristic element of his work, the potato, a vegetable originally from the American continent, as a basis for his discourse in which he establishes parallels between the dormant energy in this object and the potential of human transformation; Roberto Elía, who used other disciplines such as literature, poetry and music and created works that were also directly related to the city of Buenos Aires; León Ferrari, who, in works such as "Western and Christian Civilization", combined the statue of Christ, iconography of the past, with an FH107 bombing, icon of the Vietnam war; Graciela Sacco and her pieces on social debates; Edgardo Vigo, creator of ironic machines in the 60s and promoter of Mail-Art; Cristina Piffer, who featured beef in her works, basic food for Argentines, displaying it in spare, rational units placing it in opposition to the natural quality of meat; and Liliana Porter, who uses well-known icons representative of Argentine idiosyncrasy, such as the gaucho, Che Guevara or pages from Borges. The aim of the exhibit was to underline each artist s individuality, brought together because of the high quality of their works. These were on view at the New York auction house, simultaneously with the Fall annual sale of Latin American art that is always held in November. There was also a special program which included meeting the curator.

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