Ana Gallardo
dal 8/7/2012 al 14/7/2012
Segnalato da
8/7/2012
Ana Gallardo
Bishops Square, London
A place to live when we are old. For this participatory, site-specific project - premiered with great success at the 29th Sao Paolo Biennial in 2010 - three dancers in their 70s, give presentations of 'danzon' (a typical Mexican dance) and encourage the public to join in.
A public art project with Ramiro Gallardo and Mario Gomez Casas
Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art presents A place to live when we are old, an
inter-generational, dance-based piece by Argentinian artist Ana Gallardo in collaboration with
Ramiro Gallardo and Mario Gomez Casas. Bringing people of all ages together through dance,
this week-long event at Bishops Square, in the heart of London’s Spitalfields, sees three
mature, amateur dancers from Mexico offering demonstrations and lessons of danzón, a
typical Mexican dance, to members of the public.
Building on the success of Kate Gilmore’s Walk the Line, the inaugural Parasol Public project
staged in June 2011, Parasol unit is now presenting this participatory, site-specific project.
A place to live when we are old premiered with great success at the 29th São Paolo Biennial
in 2010. For its London debut, Ofelia Martinez Herrera, Concepcion Marvan Pale and Lucio
Romero Rojas, three dancers in their 70s, give presentations of danzón and encourage the
public to join in. A place to live when we are old takes place on a purpose-built dance floor
in Bishops Square with accompanying music, a site-specific wall drawing and video projection
that together create a dynamic social environment.
In Mexico City, where Ana Gallardo lived for many years, the artist absorbed the culture of
danzón, popularly danced by senior people in the public squares. A place to live when we are
old focuses on showcasing the sociological concerns surrounding age in modern society. For
Gallardo, the project challenges the typically ‘unfavourable image of growing old, often
associated with illness, financial constraints and physical or mental decline’. The project’s
central themes of hope, community and enjoyment, play out through the shared experience of
dance.
Continuing its work with international artists, Parasol unit will be the first UK institution to
show the work of Ana Gallardo. Born 1958 in Argentina, Gallardo has exhibited throughout
South America, North America and Spain. Her recent solo exhibitions include: Galería Ignacio
Liprandi, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2012; Florencia Lowenthal Gallery, Santiago de Chile, Chile,
2010; Alberto Sendros Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009; and the Museum of
Contemporary Art of Rosario, Argentina, 2009. Her recent group exhibitions include: the Centro
Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2011; Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, USA, 2011;
Museum of the University of Alicante, Spain, 2011; National Foundation for the Arts, Buenos
Aires, Argentina; and the 29th São Paolo Biennial, Brazil, 2010.
A place to live when we are old will feature in Big Dance 2012, a nationwide
festival that promotes public involvement in a broad range of dance activities in
a variety of unconventional places.
This project is generously supported by:
Arts Council England
Spitalfields
CONACULTA: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes
Embassy of Mexico in the United Kingdom
Tower Hamlets Council
Founded in December 2004, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is an educational charity registered in
England and Wales, which operates purely for the benefit of the public. Each year, the foundation organises four
exhibitions in a variety of media as well as setting up other artistic projects. Each gallery exhibition is
accompanied by a publication and a related educational events programme. The foundation does not bear the
founder’s name, and its exhibitions are not derived from the founder’s own collection. Parasol unit is therefore a
new model of collaboration between private funding and public support.
Images: A place to live when we are old, Courtesy of Ana Gallardo, Ramiro Gallardo and Mario
Gomez Casas and Parasol unit, London. Photograph: Mario Gomez Casas
Groups and individuals of all ages are welcome. For further information and group bookings,
please contact Lucy Britton at lucy@parasol-unit.org or Nicola Pomery at
nicola@parasol-unit.org.
Launch on 9 July at 12 pm, Bishops Square, Spitalfields, London
The Parasol Public art project takes place in
Bishops Square, Spitalfields, London, E1
Monday–Saturday, 12 noon–7 pm and Sunday 12 noon-4 pm
Admission is free