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CULTURE AS A SHELTER AT THE NEW YORK ART BOOK FAIR, By Pedro Roth

_{Art, when it transcends, is one of the ways to find purpose of existence. For me that is the role of the artist and that’s why we have to support them.

Pedro Roth}

We talked with Pedro Roth, visual artist, cultural producer and curator of the stand at the NY Art Book Fair by Printed Matter in MoMA PS1 this Sept 20, 21 and 22. This stand by the Argentinian Culture Department and Point of Contact is an independent project that has been growing for the last eight years.

How is the collaboration between Point of Contact from Syracuse University and the Argentinian Department of Culture?
We connected both institutions and and they have been collaborating for more than eight years, even going through different governments, we worked through different officials and professors from both sides, building a mutual knowledge beyond the differences, criteria, styles and psychologies.

Is there any theme in common among the artists that you are bringing?
We chose a diverse group in terms of ages, styles, regions, so that the audience has a more open idea of what is going on in our country.

Could you tell us more about the artists with longer experience at the stand?
We always bring prestigious artists. Three of them are Liliana Porter, Luis Felipe Noé, Carlos Arnaiz. It is hard to say anything about them because they are friends from my generation. They are all leader from different artistic movements. Noé won this year a prize for his
trajectory from the Salón Nacional.

Could you tell us more about the emerging artists?
We work with young artists that represent different disciplines. Agustina Mazzoco, Andres Müller, and Colectivo Gráfico Vivas nos Queremos Argentina, whose images are free and challenge the traditional patriarcal circuits.

Agustina’s work and concerns are about nature and the environment. Andrés works with cartoons and humor.

What is the value that art books have nowadays?
In Argentina we have been promoting it for a while, we are creating an Art Book Department at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and art book fairs in different parts of the country, waking up a bigger interest from the audience even during the current economic crisis. The American audience recibes our stand with a lot of sensitivity and curiosity since it is an audience knowledgable of the different artistic languages. There is a very big group of young collectors interested in this fair.

In order to promote Argentina’s culture, which country could be a good reference keeping in mind their model and strategies?
Argentina, being an emergent country, has to work as country from the empire. Our culture and our productions are at that level, similar to countries like France, Germany and the US. We have all the ingredientes, ideas, statements, except from the resources. I think that Mexico understood this, Mexico protects their culture, even being so close to the US. They promote it keeping their identity, for example, Mexican bills show the portraits from their artists, that symbolizes a strong politic on regards their culture.

Globalization is the limit. The problem is not letting your culture be globalized. Bringing our work to New York is a small big action that could produce and impact in the word. The cultural movement is the our spirit’s last shelter.

︎ MY LOVE TO DISTORTION BY SHIS UNUSUAL

CULTURE AS A SHELTER AT THE NEW YORK ART BOOK FAIR, By Pedro Roth

Art, when it transcends, is one of the ways to find purpose of existence. For me that is the role of the artist and that’s why we have to support them. Pedro Roth

_{Art, when it transcends, is one of the ways to find purpose of existence. For me that is the role of the artist and that’s why we have to support them.

Pedro Roth}