Chosen Memories

Some of the most relevant art of the present is conceived through investigating and retelling history in new ways, by artists who engage with the past as a means to repair histories of violence and reconnect with undervalued cultural legacies. Meshes of Time presents artworks that find their poetic and political vitality by mobilizing histories of Latin America. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the publication presents artworks by contemporary Latin American artists who, over the last four decades, have looked to history as the source material for new work. Videos, photographs, paintings, and sculptures, many of which were donated to the Museum by the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in 2018, are presented in dialogue with one another.

Organized into three thematic sections, the catalogue examines how artists have investigated and reimagined histories and cultural legacies of the region, including long histories of colonialism in the region, undervalued cultural and visual heritages, and inherited and chosen kinships, as well as processes around mourning and memorialization. The richly illustrated catalogue features over 40 artists from different generations working across Latin America over the last four decades, including Alejandro Cesarco (Uruguay), Regina José Galindo (Guatemala), Mario García Torres (Mexico), Leandro Katz (Argentina), Suwon Lee (Venezuela), Gilda Mantilla (Peru) and Raimond Chaves (Colombia), Cildo Meireles (Brazil), Rosângela Rennó (Brazil), Mauro Restiffe (Brazil), and José Alejandro Restrepo (Colombia), among others.

Author Biography

Inés Katzenstein is Curator of Latin American Art and Director of the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Research Institute for the Study of Art from Latin America, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.