Opening Reception: Thursday, September 3, 7-9pm, Sur Gallery
Community Gathering with Artist (in Spanish): Tuesday, September 15, 7-10pm
Artist Talk (in English): Thursday, September 17, 6-9pm, Sur Gallery
Mural Painting: September 19-22, Arauco Housing Coop
MURO—meaning wall in Spanish—is the root of the term ‘mural’, but most importantly, the word ‘muro’ occupies an important place in contemporary political imaginary. For centuries walls have been constructed to defend, divide, marginalize, to establish barriers, limits and property. From the slave-built walls of empires to the most recent north-south boundaries, the Israel –Palestine and the U.S.A.-Mexico borders, the wall has historically been a tool of domination, yet within a politically contested space. In the mid-1960s the walls of Chile were overtaken by artists and youth and served as a powerful medium of social communication and electoral propaganda. The growing desire for political and social transformation overtook the walls. From symbol of repression the walls were transformed into an artistic expression of the ideals and new Chile envisioned by many.
MURO, Transformation in the Art of Alejandro Gonzalez is the artist’s first exhibition in Canada and explores three periods of his six decade long practice. From Gonzalez’s role in the emergence of the Ramona Parra Muralist Brigades (B.R.P.) to his most recent print work, MURO looks at the relation between art, politics and social versus individual artistic practice. The goal of MURO is to help shed some light into the transformation in role, mediums and processes used by Gonzalez and provide context into the possible place of artists in politics today.
Curated by Rodrigo Barreda
