Page 212 - The 60.Venice Biennial & MoMA issue of WOA Contemporary Art magazine

Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, and the impact of the Import
Clara Porset (Mexican, born Cuba. 1895–1981). Butaque . 1957. Laminated wood and
woven wicker, 28 3/4 × 25 13/16 × 33 7/16"(73 × 65.6 × 84.9 cm). The Museum of Modern
Art, New York. Gift of The Modern Women’s Fund
Emilio Ambasz (Argentine, born 1943). Flashlights . 1983. Manufacturer: GB Plast, Bologna,
Italy. ABS plastic, Each: 4 x 1 1/4 x 1" (10.2 x 3.2 x 2.5 cm). The Museum of Modern Art,
New York. Gift of the designer
212 WORLD of ART
Substitution Industrialization (ISI) in the postwar era, when
models of production responded to specific market conditions
and local tastes. Finally, the exhibition will explore the
intersection of local and craft traditions with modernism,
using such key examples as Joaquim Tenreiro’s Three-legged
chair (Brazil, 1947) and Jaime Gutierrez Lega’s Silla Ovejo
(Colombia, 1972). This section will also center on designers
of vernacular objects who, although they were part of Latin
American modernity, were not credited at the time. Many
households lived with these meaningful pieces - such as the
textile work of Luis Montiel (Venezuela) and Madalena Santos
Reinbold (Brazil) - but these designers and techniques were not
recognized in their time. Throughout the various crises Latin
America faced, craft remained as a resilient and persistent
practice in the region, and became in itself a form of identity.
In the period addressed by the exhibition, Latin America was by
no means a homogenous territory, and designers active in the
region proposed sometimes conflicting visions of modernity.
For some, design was an evolution of local craft traditions,
leading to an approach that combined centuries-old artisanal
techniques with machine-based methods. For others, design
responded to market conditions and local tastes, and was
based on available technologies and industrial processes. They
proposed designs rooted in new visual repertoires using their
own technologies that had developed as a result of the growing
national industries. They rejected historicism and embraced
international avant-garde movements. Crafting Modernity will
chart these differences between countries, and explore
how designs for domestic environments reflect ideas of
national identity, models of production, and modern ways
of living.
Juan Baixas (Chilean, born 1942). Puzzle Chair. 1975. Wood and canvas, assembled: 28
5/8 x 24 x 31 1/2" (72.7 x 61 x 80 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the
Juan Ignacio Baixas Archive