The 60s and Pop
Galería Sur,Punta del Este
After having been selected for the second consecutive year to participate in TEFAF (The International Fine Art Fair) held in Maastrich, Jorge and Martín Castillo, of Galería Sur, made the opening of the exhibition The 60s and Pop: Politics and Sensuality coincide with the reception in honor of the directors of the prestigious international fair, who visited Punta del Este for the first time. Art and popular culture could be seen in the works of Argentine, Brazilian and Uruguayan artists such as Ernesto Cristiani, Ruisdael Suárez, José Gamarra, Víctor Mesa, and Hugo Longa, among others. The works represented that turbulent decade that spanned a period marked by political and economic changes worldwide, and they pointed to the boom of the mass media, which entailed a high-impact modification in the visual arts. Intellectual provocation, the appeal to political, cultural, and social reflection, and the visual games with consumer products − through witty reflections and strategies drawn from advertising − were some of the aspects included in the works exhibited in the show.
Thus, visitors could come into contact with Antonio Slepack’s graphic works; Delia Cancela and Pablo Mesejean’s experiences with fashion; Nicolás García Uriburu’s paintings featuring references to everyday life; Pop imagery and the vibrant industrial colors of the Cosmonauta by Claudio Tozzi, also acclaimed as an architect. Berni utilized the feminine figure, and in the monumental Ramona en el cabaret, he flirted with assemblage and included heavy ordinary elements in the painting. The text by the curator Manuel Neves, included in the thorough and profusely illustrated catalogue, delved into diverse social and political aspects of the 1960s and 1970s, and it also pondered on the relationship established with a multitude of forms of cultural communication.
