Mónica Girón during Art Basel Cities – Buenos Aires...

12:00 a.m.

09/10/18 - Given the chance go show their best artist to a foreign audience, the art galleries of Buenos Aires delivered all kinds of exhibitions during this week’s Art Basel. Barro, in the neighborhood of La Boca, who represents artists o the likes of Matías Duville (one of the possible candidates to represent Argentina in the upcoming Venice Biennial) and Nicola Costantino, presented an exhibition dedicated to the passing of time. However, they dedicated a special room to Mónica Girón (Argentina, 1959) and her "Ajuar para un conquistador", which is an installation with knitted clothes for birds. These colorful pieces fit perfectly the anatomy of certain birds of Patagonia, while they also enhance their absence.

Ajuar para un conquistador, by Mónica Girón (1993)

Material: merino wool and buttons

Ajuar para un conquistador, by Mónica Girón (1993)

Material: merino wool and buttons

All these garments have a hidden symbolism which, according to Girón, was inspired by the collection of the museum in Patagonia dedicated to the conquering of the national territory. These knitted pieces for endangered birds point out the threat suffered by those species because of the damages caused by civilization.

It not only refers to the arrival of the “conquistador” but also to the adoption of new technologies. Girón places the spotlight on the local cultures, that were forced to adapt to the change, abandoning, for example, the use of the looms, in favor of more industrialized techniques. Knitting became a skill taught from mothers to daughters.