Press Release
Pavilion of Chile at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale Di Venezia
POÉTICAS DE LA DISIDENCIA / POETICS OF DISSENT
PAZ ERRÁZURIZ AND LOTTY ROSENFELD
CURATED BY NELLY RICHARD
Artiglierie in Arsenale, Venice – Castello
9 May – 22 November 2015
Preview days: 6 – 8 May 2015.
Poéticas de la Disidencia / Poetics of Dissent brings together two internationally renowned Chilean artists
Paz Errázuriz (b.1944) and Lotty Rosenfeld (b.1943) with curator Nelly Richard (b.1948). The three women
and activists, all from a generation that emerged in the 1970s, during Augusto Pinochet’s military
dictatorship, come together to explore the themes of politics, domination and subordination,
representation, power, culture and citizenship from the perspective of gender.
Poetics of Dissent pairs the creative practices of Paz Errázuriz, a prominent photographer renowned for
her honest portrayals of people living on the fringes of the Chilean society, and Lotty Rosenfeld, a
performance and video artist whose name is synonymous with political public art in Latin America.
Curated by Nelly Richard, one of the most prominent cultural theorists writing in Latin America today, the
exhibition offers incisive commentary about the country’s passage from dictatorship to democratic posttransition era.
For the first time, the concept for the Pavilion of Chile at the Venice Biennale was selected in a public
competition. Poetics of Dissent was announced as the winning proposal by the National Council for
Culture and the Arts of Chile (CNCA) and the Minister of Culture of Chile, Claudia Barattini, said of the
project: "We want our artists and creative practitioners to be known and valued beyond our borders,
especially in a showcase of the importance of the Venice Biennale. We are particularly proud because the
selected project presents women whose work is essential to understanding our contemporary art scene
and the socio-political context of Chile."
The main Venice Biennale exhibition All the World’s Futures, curated by Okwui Enwezor, will also be in
part inspired by the history of Chile. Following the violent coup d’état, in which General Augusto Pinochet
overthrew the government of Salvador Allende in 1973, part of the 1974 Venice Biennale programme was
dedicated to Chile in a gesture of solidarity towards the country and against fascism. In view of the
current turmoil around the world, Enwezor references the 1974 Biennale as a curatorial inspiration for his
exhibition.
Further details of the presentation will be announced in early May 2015.
Pavilion of Chile at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale Di Venezia
Paz Errázuriz, Evelyn 1, La Manzana de Adán. Chile, 1982.
Photo © artist
Lotty Rosenfeld, No,no fui feliz. Video Installation, Chile, 2015.
Photo © artist
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
The official catalogue of Poéticas de la Disidencia / Poetics of Dissent will be published by Polígrafa and
will feature texts by Diamela Eltit and Andrea Giunta.
TEAM
Curator and catalogue editor
Nelly Richard
Commissioner
Antonio Arévalo
General Coordinator
Juan Pablo Vergara
SUPPORTERS OF THE PAVILION OF CHILE 2015
Chile’s participation at the 56th International Art Exhibition in Venice is commissioned by the National
Council of Culture and the Arts (CNCA) and organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs through its Cultural Affairs Bureau (DIRAC), and the Imagen de Chile Foundation.
56TH INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION – LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA
The 56th International Art Exhibition will take place in Venice from 9 May – 22 November 2015 at the
Giardini and at the Arsenale (Preview: 6 – 8 May 2015), as well as in various venues across the city.
The Biennale’s title chosen by its Director, Okwui Enwezor, is All the World's Futures.
Poetics of Dissent will be open Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm in the Pavilion of Chile, located in
Artigliere Dell’Arsenale of Venice - Castello , 30122 – Venice, Italy.
For more information, visit the website: www.bienalvenecia.cl
For media enquiries, images or interview requests please contact:
International press office: Sutton PR, London
Anna Minarikova: [email protected]/ T +44 (0)20 7183 3577
Pavilion of Chile at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale Di Venezia
NOTES
TO EDITORS
PAZ ERRÁZURIZ, ARTIST
Born in Santiago de Chile, 1944
Born in Santiago, Chile, Paz Errázuriz studied at the Cambridge Institute of Education, in
the UK, and at Universidad Católica de Chile. In 1972 she began working as a self-taught
photographer and continued perfecting her craft in 1993 at the International Center of
Photography in New York.
Errázuriz has been honoured with the Ansel Adams Award, given by the Instituto ChilenoNorteamericano de Cultura (1995); the Lifetime Achievement award, given by the Chilean
Art Critics Circle (2005); and Chile’s Altazor award (2005). In 2014 she received the Pablo
Neruda Order of Merit. Errázuriz lives and works in Chile.
www.pazerrazuriz.cl
LOTTY ROSENFELD, ARTIST
Born in Santiago de Chile, 1943
Born in Santiago, Chile, Lotty Rosenfeld studied at the School for Applied Arts, at the
Universidad de Chile. In 1979 she joined the Colectivo Acciones de Arte (CADA), the art
actions collective, and began working on interventions in public spaces. Since then she
has used art actions and video as her preferred formats and techniques of expression.
Rosenfeld received the Special Jury Prize at the First Tokyo International Video Biennial
(1985); the Altazor prize for printmaking and drawing and the PAOA Award at the 13th
Viña del Mar International Film Festival (2001), and the Altazor prize in the category of
video art and installation (2003). In 2007 she was distinguished by Chile’s National Council
for the Arts and Culture as Visual Artist of the Year. Rosenfeld lives and works in Chile.
www.lottyrosenfeld.cl
NELLY RICHARD, CURATOR
Born in Caen, France, 1948
Born in France and living in Chile since 1970, Nelly Richard is one of the most
prominent cultural theorists writing in Latin America today. Richard studied
Modern Literature at the Sorbonne, and has lived in Chile since 1970. Her book
Margins and Institutions: Art in Chile since 1970 (1986) is considered a key
reference in the field of Latin American art and critical theory. Rosenfeld lives and
works in Chile.
Pavilion of Chile at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale Di Venezia