Situated Knowledges
Artists in dialogue

On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 17th 2024, we opened the studio to present the processes of the artists in residence of the June-July period to the local public. During the event, Lillian Broeksmit (USA), Roxana Leiva (El Salvador-USA) and Maflo Martínez (Argentina, artist-in-residency thanks to a fellowship from Fundación´ace), shared their work in different ways. We also had a conversation with Nélida Wisneke, a reference in the Afro community. Nélida is president of the Afrodescendant Association of Misiones, activist for the Rights of Afro-Argentinean Communities, professor at the National University of Misiones with postgraduate degrees in Human Rights and Applied Linguistics, popular storyteller and writer.

The three artists that participated in this residency slot have aspects in common in their works linked to a profound exploration and reflection on resistance and survival. Each one, from her particular perspective and context, addresses issues related to resilience in the face of adversity, identity and memory. Opening her creative process, Lillian took us to explore the streets of Buenos Aires through her work 32.351 bananas, inspired by these hybrid and non-native trees that stand out for their resistance and capacity to adapt to urban conditions. Roxana transported us to El Salvador, a country marked by a history of struggle and survival. 32 years after the Peace Accords, her work confronts us with a reality in which the long-awaited society of peace has not yet arrived for many. Through iconic images of international solidarity posters produced in Cuba during the war, Leiva rescues past ideals and invites us to a profound reflection on the post-war period, identity and the search for a better future for all Salvadorans. Maflo, for her part, focused her work on identity processes linked to the territory and the Afro communities of Misiones. With a tender and poetic gaze, she addressed in her mural painting the emotional and identity wounds of the collective of which she is a part, creating a bridge between the personal and the political.