Descentrar el canon: Critical Perspectives on Artistic Modernism in the Andean Region

Following the contemporary interest to expand narratives about global modernism in art history, this panel proposes to create a conversation about Andean modernism. The canon of modern art history in Latin America tends to homogenize the region and give predominance to the artistic productions of countries with public and private cultural institutions that have been able to participate in the discussions in the hegemonic centers of knowledge production.

As a reflection of the profound inequalities and social hierarchies of the region, the notion of modernism in Latin America has generally been limited to the aesthetic production of dominant urban groups, excluding that of indigenous, rural, Afro-descendant and diasporic groups. In this session we emphasize artistic processes developed in the Andes from the mid-20th century onwards that critically complicate the predominating perspectives of modernity.

From a postcolonial perspective, which recognizes alternative modernities and the asynchronicity in the processes of Andean modernity, we aim to bring together proposals that study the tensions and intersections between urban centers and indigenous or rural territories, between constructed ideas of modern art, crafts, and folk art. We are particularly interested in narratives that probe how migration, gender inequality, and extraction practices affect the conditions of artistic production and the dynamics that occur during the transition from modern to contemporary art.