AGO to Acquire First Cuban Work of Art
Date Posted: February, 20, 2008
Carlos Garaicoa, Postcapital, 2006, wood, metal, polychromed plaster, PVC, cardboard, courtesy of Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, Italy and Beijing, China, (image). Promised Gift of Sherritt Corporation International.
(Toronto: February 20, 2008) Postcapital, an elaborate work by renowned contemporary artist Carlos Garaicoa, will join the Art Gallery of Ontario's permanent collection as part of a five-year partnership between the AGO and Sherritt International Corporation. Over time the partnership will result in the formation of a Cuban art collection at the AGO.
Carlos Garaicoa is one of Cuba's leading contemporary artists. Postcapital is a display of small architectural models of world famous national monuments representing a new global metropolis. Each architectural model is derived from a different national currency, some familiar, such as Ottawa's Parliament Buildings from a $10 note, while others are less well known, such as a range of modernist structures from post-colonial Africa. Postcapital presents the possibility of a world without different currencies.
"The Sherritt collection at the AGO will illustrate how the country's creativity is flourishing and bring these works to new audiences," says AGO's curator of contemporary art, David Moos. Focusing on the diversity and ingenuity of Cuban art, Moos is working with Havana-based independent curator Magda Gonzalez-Mora to select works that will find a focus in the Sherritt Collection at the AGO.
One of the largest foreign investors in Cuba, Sherritt International is a Canadian natural resource company that produces nickel, cobalt, oil, coal and electricity. Through its partnership with the AGO, Sherritt International is enhancing its involvement in Cuba and Cuban culture by creating a lasting contribution of Cuban art to the AGO.
Garaicoa was born in 1967 in Havana, where he currently lives and works. He studied visual arts at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Cuba from 1989 to 1994. Using multi-media to convey themes of urbanism and politics, his work examines day-to-day life in Havana and the gap between political idealism and the hardships of everyday life. Garaicoa's work can be found in numerous public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York and Tate Modern, London. He is represented by Lombard-Freid Fine Arts in New York and Galleria Continua in Italy.
Postcapital will be on view in the new contemporary galleries when the AGO reopens in fall 2008.
- 30 -
| In English | Use the Contact Us form |
|---|---|
| En français | Utilisez le formulaire Contactez-nous |
The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Culture. Additional operating support is received from the Volunteers of the AGO, the City of Toronto,the Department of Canadian Heritage and The Canada Council for the Arts.