Mónica Girón

Neo-Creole, 2003-2006. Among other issues, this piece deals with the concept of "Creole" as descendant of parents coming from another continents, born somewehere else and raised as Creoles" It's also a quotation from the "NeoCriollo", which is a character in Leopoldo Marechal's "Adán Buenosayres", and of "Neo-Creole" also as an argued concept and introduced as a 'Panlanguage' in the works and texts by Xul Solar. The piece is also a result of the reflection upon classical sculpture, and specially Auguste Rodin's "The Gates of Hell" and some alien characters from sci-fi films. The Neo-Creole sets in motion a sort of emotional body in which the parts are not distinguished individually except for the pupils, hands or feet (parts that reveal a certain degree of humanity). The group or emotional body, spirally composed, is standing on a earthed-like surface that reveals other heads appearing from down below. Producing this work was a 3-year research and construction process. There is an iron structure over an mdf sheet, a metal mesh and a polished fabric, and finally wax arranged by adding it layer over layer.

(questions 2 and 3 together) I started out posing myself some questions on beauty and harmony. As time went by, these questions led me to the study of art: the research process consisted and still consists of a series of works, and these are the ones that relate to such questions the better. My experimental researchs have taken me to deep -always from the point of view of contemporary art and without abandoning western culture as a method- into different cultural sceneries. These biographical works are made following an experimental, intuitive and conceptual process, creating a personal comment on art, expression and representation. During my childhood and adolescence, I was educated on international art, popular literature such as "Art and man" or "Shape and color", books that I had found back at home and at friends' coming from a variety of cultural origings. My mother also trained me in drawing and creation at all levels; this was then complemented by what was left of the Argentine academy during 1978-79 (the Military Dictatorship), the two first years of the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón -which curricula were very impoverished. In the École Supérieure d'Art Visual (Genève) I was trained in the history of Art from an European perspective, educated in French and German structuralism amd semiotics and the creation process starting from the conceptual analysis of those factors involved within the artistic work. The biggest influence to me back then was the Minimalism, Arte Povera and conceptual art; in a more surreptitious way I should also mention the influence of the newly born 1980s English artistic tendencies (Tony Cragg, Richard Long, etc., etc.) and German (Rosemarie Troquel or Joseph Beuys). Since my decision of living in Buenos Aires, back in 1985, I got in touch little by little with the local culture done here and in other parts of South America. I've learnt a lot from the works by Lola Mora, Fortunato Lacámera, Pettoruti, Raquel Forner, Víctor Grippo, Pablo Suárez, León Ferrari, Clorindo Testa, Alberto Heredia, Oscar Bony, Roberto Aizenberg, Grete Stern, Antonio Berni, Federico Manuel Peralta Ramos, Nicolás García Uriburu, Jorge de la Vega, Alejandro Puente, Luis Felipe Noé, Luis Fernando Benedit, Liliana Maresca, Marcia Schwartz, Omar Schirilo. When I arrived to Buenos Aires in 1985, the X Group's work was beginning. I also learnt a lot from this back then. But overall, I think it must be easier for others to notice what were my influences. I've researched and still do upon the contributions of symbolic sciences in relation to the emotional construction of culture. I guess that several of these cultural affiliations can be recognized in my works; and that because of such identities it is easy to trace certain footprints or specific cultural quotation routes such as the ones mentioned above. It seems important to me to leave this tracing and interpretation task to the creative impulse of each individual viewer.

I'm very interested in general in the works by Víctor Grippo, because they introduce a conceptual reflection on shapes and sciences, and on human work -in relation to trascendence, transmutation or transformation. Pablo Suárez, because he introduces, into the art scene, the grotesque mixed with classical quotes and issues related to the emotional and cultural body, particularly that of Buenos Aires. León Ferrari, because he introduces an artistic reflection upon the formal and artistic heritage of the Catholic Church and the politics. Luis Fernando Benedit, for his formal -yet not idealized- thoughts, away from what is considered as being traditional or national. It is a way to take up again that old discussion of the 'Martin-Fierristas'. Liliana Porter, because he introduces the fragment as an introduction, and the viewer's silent imaginery as a way to complete the works of art. Oscar Bony, because he dramatically introduces a reflection upon party as beauty in the representation of art by doing a re-interpretation or update of the old theme of the Bacchanals. Marcia Schwartz, because of its expressive painting that introduce a unique imaginery in relation to the body that is only exiled or exceded within the exaggerated or brutal landscape, and the landscape's and neighbourhood's collective or groupal body, also exceded, brutal, grotesque and exiled. Omar Schirilo, for introducing the poetic-philosophical reflection starting from the common, everyday, domestic object. Cristina Schiavi, because she updates that tendency found in Pablo Suarez's works and adds the knowledge she gets from drawing and computing to the world of art. Rosana Fuertes, for introducing a reflection upon education and information obtained from the media. Daniel Ontiveros, Malevitche articulates and dismantles a pictorial consideration on certain discussions found within Argentine political, intellectual and artistic debates. Gumier Maier, for introducing a particular and focused reflection on art design and the aesthetical meaning of what is to be considered as 'popular'. Miguel Harte, for his thoughts on heinousness or monstruous miniature, bright and slippery beauty as a present paradox on the human imaginary. Magdalena Jitrik, for her considerations on art as a source for propaganda, demonstration, pamphlet and art within the political movement. Marcelo Grossman, because he re-introduces the portrait of the 'other', alien or close, in photography, an issue that comes in handy to update a certain gaze on oneself, specially in Buenos Aires or Argentina, in general (Marino, 1996). Fabio Kacero, for expressing with a dramatic sense the clever melancholy that fills the Buenos Aires' language. Gabriel Valansi, for introducing a reflection upon representation technology linked with the expression of war media and propaganda. Feliciano Centurión, for introducing a sort of sweet silvan and absurd delirium in the intellectual sanity of Buenos Aires' art lines. Martín Bonadeo, for introducing a consideration on the possible relations between art and thinking structures as proposed by the scientific thought. Fernanda Laguna, for re-introducing in the field of art the ideas and work of Belleza y Felicidad. Guillermo Kuitca, for introducing a reflection upon local art as a thought or an understanding object within an international contect, and his particular way of implementing an artistic education method. Fabiana Barreda, for her work with art and artistic education. Raúl Flores, for his photographs of unregistered or forgotten subjects from the usual or normativized representation scene. Juan José Cambre, for his obsession with colours and painting. Carolina Antonianidis, for her obsession with colours and painting. Esteban Pastorino, for his innovative contributions to photography and landscaping. Claudia Fontes, for her works and for having created TRAMA. Nicola Constantino, for her her raw cynicism on Argentine culture. Marcos López, for expressing the artifice and dramatic qualities that are present in the photographic language. Sebastián Gordín, for his expression on the detailed and lovely observation of the smallness in everday life. Horacio Abraham Luján, for introducing subjects linked to ethical principles into contractual-artistic forms. Eduardo Stupía, for making wonderful drawings. This list in incomplete. It does not end here.