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		<title>Cuatro Cantos (2009)</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/09/cuatro-cantos-2009/</link>
		<comments>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/09/cuatro-cantos-2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:21:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pablohelguera.net/?p=1052</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
 
CUATRO CANTOS
 
++
 
Óvalos
 
Eran los hermosos óvalos que flotaban 
por los paisajes de todas las ferias mundiales 
los que me seguían sin parar 
cada vez que me trataba de bolear los zapatos. 
Yo quería ser negro, 
pero la tintorería de Transilvania nunca me llamaba,
creo que porque no les gusta la calvicie 
y porque mis [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><!--StartFragment--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>CUATRO CANTOS</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>++</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Óvalos</span></em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Eran los hermosos óvalos que flotaban </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>por los paisajes de todas las ferias mundiales </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>los que me seguían sin parar </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>cada vez que me trataba de bolear los zapatos. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Yo quería ser negro, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>pero la tintorería de Transilvania nunca me llamaba,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>creo que porque no les gusta la calvicie </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y porque mis tacos con escabeche ahora huelen a talco. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Si tan solo los caballos de colores fueran antropólogos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>interesados en sorber clips suecos, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>si tan solo los mecánicos burocráticos vivieran en Nápoles </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y entendieran que el pasto a veces puede ser rosado. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Ahí siguen los óvalos, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>que odio que sean tan hermosos y tan grandes y veloces, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y que yo sea una tortuga medieval </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>solo con una bolsita de gomas de borrar </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>pero sin audífonos y con deudas de gimnasio. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Son así las olas de este barrio, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>que llegan con Mafaldas abstrusas a veces, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>donde todos saludan pero cierran temprano </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y no queda mas que tirar los calcetines por la ventana </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>cuando termina el verano. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
++ </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Aduana </span></em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Vendo pellejos diseñados, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>hechos de dedos finos de venados rumanos, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>los promuevo en bosques de farmacias lentas </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>de aquellas que surten frases suaves con íes y diptongos, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>con avestruces de peluche cantando a la salida, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>para aquellos como yo, con traje de húsar anticuado, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>de esos que son imposibles de planchar. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Fuera de eso, mi tienda está vacía </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>como si esto fuera la posguerra de los moles, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>ya quisieras, pues habria paraíso de boinas, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>pero ni siquiera ese chicle pega, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>ni Virilio me deja usar su carro de último modelo </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>ni me invitan a la capilla de los banquetes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Plantado con mi duty-free bajo el brazo </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>trato de oler todos los colores </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y acaricio las avenas de las mañanas </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>en busca de que algo, lo que sea, me dé besos. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>++</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bidet </span></em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Según historiadores y egiptólogos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>el sol se proyectaba al estilo de Sanborns </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>cuando uno pide huevos negativos con arroz; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>todo era elegantísimo, con moños nupciales </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y en los pasillos con cuadrados verdes aterciopelados </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>hasta los huesos funestos comían sombras de negocios. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Era sin duda una montaña semiótica para un niño como yo, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>con mi canasta pirograbada con iguanas bajo el brazo </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>difícil de pesar apropiadamente sin inflar un globo, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>pero así eran las enredaderas polacas cuando se dejaban tocar, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y si en París Londres se podía pedir emparedado de almejas con Pritt </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>no sabremos si los parques eran también así de disléxicos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>a menos de que nos hubiesen dejado plantados </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>con una orquesta regional. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Yo, por mi parte, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>colecciono espuma desde hace dos siglos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>para peinar toboganes rusos como los de Pavlov, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y me lavo el pelo en el bidet como Supermán, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>pero ni así logro taclear al camello que me ataca </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>por sorpresa cada miércoles a las quince </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>cuando me encuentro cargando las bolsas del super, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>e inevitablemente me duele hasta el pelo, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y sueño la caravana pasar ante mis pecas </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>con todos los bisnietos de la historia, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y la crema dulce de los Cadillacs </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y el inconsolable lavabo con su fuente </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>que nunca supimos reparar.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>++</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<p class="MsoNormal">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Distribuidora</span></em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Soy como un camarón diminuto </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>perdido en un <em>mall</em></span><span> fantasma </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>de esos que armaban los teóricos amnésicos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>mientras los distraía un turbante sucio. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Hay algo que me recuerda a mi papá, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>pero no sé si es ese teléfono para changos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>o las algas electrónicas que salen sin avisar, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>injustamente como lo tratan a uno en un hospital </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>cuando llegamos sin trofeos o faldas de terlenga. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Creo que extraño la época en que yo era perro </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y a veces llegaban bolsas con estrellas y malvaviscos verdes, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>o llovía jugo de fresa sobre nuestras zapatillas, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y todos éramos bailarines entrenados por Ravel, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>y pensar que hasta ahora comprendo finalmente</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>considerando las varias manchas de salsa en mi chamarra, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>ya nunca va a llegar el momento de las almohadas frescas </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>ni el de las playas violetas del sur </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>a pesar de que, como todos los brujos indicaban,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>ahorita debería de estar cruzando Circunvalación. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>No soy Polivoz, pero tampoco entiendo </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>estos caracoles infinitos en mi cara </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>que vinieron para quedarse en Indochina </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>o mas bien, para dejarme viendo telenovelas</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>en la ropería,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>esperando, eternamente,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>al camión. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<div>+++++</div>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Revolver (2009)</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/06/revolver-2009/</link>
		<comments>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/06/revolver-2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Performance]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pablohelguera.net/?p=1012</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ 
Texto palindrómico del performance presentado en el Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, el 18 de junio del 2009.
El performance incluyó la interpretación de obras para piano, tocadas al derecho y a la inversa, de Josef Matthias Hauer (1883-1959), Robert Starer (1924-2001), y Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994), interpretadas por Beatriz Helguera-Snow.
Palindromic Text from the performance &#8220;Revolver&#8221; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> </p>
<p>Texto palindrómico del performance presentado en el Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, el 18 de junio del 2009.</p>
<p>El performance incluyó la interpretación de obras para piano, tocadas al derecho y a la inversa, de Josef Matthias Hauer (1883-1959), Robert Starer (1924-2001), y Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994), interpretadas por Beatriz Helguera-Snow.</p>
<p>Palindromic Text from the performance &#8220;Revolver&#8221; performed at the Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, on June 18, 2009. The performance included a selection of pieces, played normally as well as backwards, by Josef Matthias Hauer (1883-1959), Robert Starer (1924-2001), and Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994), played by Beatriz Helguera-Snow.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span><strong>REVOLVER</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span>Acuda caro: hallé hoyos. Ya hay nata, paré tesoro: mi visión, oh celoso, lo cortó. Eres oro, malcriada para mí, rala es la cosa. Oso, Roma, amé ópera, horror… ora, con él así, solos, yo soy ése loco. Podar tele sé; ese día me asomé.<span> </span>Va Lada, le habla, aséase. Poeta. Ah, cala, tala, rapo, no ceso. Ya, por oval, seno bajó— dale cetro. Ser odioso, idos acá. Sé amar dominó, pero lavadora, le sé arar aro. Haré una mora, dí a canal. ¿Yo leí “crac”? Esa oda rato lo coló. La oda basada crea, con ropa, loseta suave. Átame, mala. ¿Viola parir o morí? De podar no hora es. A papaya de ida, nana, loro ese oído, o lo yerro colado a la rapada y da timada casa. O lama la tipa casaca—red Nevada— y osó matar tío. Oré, ni da elogio, ni te lama. Oir a idea cayó, sé: vamos a avatar: rese cera, pala o Kaiser. El carro para. Hará cara, parece plato. Tocan. Ése adulas, sané. “Pásele.” Papá ata mesa y odas a pasado das, a pasado. La mata: cae la bolsa, sea, era dar o daré: La USA caer, ser ir o morir es. O dará<span>  </span>Tebas o cocaina y eso veo: capo agotado. Oir Aro: helada arte les erro: cartel asa, amo la ruda oda, era rato, sé: no son Sadam: a ese llanero allí toca para allá velo: sor toro da tamales. A esa otra hoy oro dí, vemos ayer. Ara, dan allá. Mirad: Europa colosal a alud a rosa muere, sé a vida, asaré somera, Hoy es ese dia para el arte, les oyó, arte<span>  </span>les (se) hará modernos. Da de desamar, ese sal Obama, ese país nadará a la deriva,<span>  </span>y…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span>A ir el agotar teratoma, sal, batalla anuda, le temo: Irak ario sé así: mar árabe bese a Cairo. Memoria caése beba, rara misa es o Irak a río mete la duna.<span>  </span>Allá tables a mota retrato, galeria. Ya viré. Dala, arad, ansia pese, ama bolas ese. Rama, sed, edad, son redomará Hesse letra oyó, se, letra lea, rapa a id ese sé yo, haremos eras a diva. Ese reuma sor, adula Alá solo capo rueda, rima llana dará. Rey, asomé<span>  </span>vid oro yo, harto aseas. El a matador otros olé, valla ara, pacotilla o renal le sé amadas, no sones o tarareado. A dura loma asa letra, corre, sé letra, dale horario o da toga, opaco Evo sé. Ya<span>  </span>ni a coco sabe, tarado. Ser ir o morir es, rea casual era dorada, rea es. As, loba, le acata mal. Odas a pasado das, a pasado.Ya se mata a papeles. Apenas saluda ese naco total. Pecera para cara. ¿Hará porra? Cleresía koala parece ser. Rata va, asoma, ¿ves? O ya cae diario, a maletín oígole. A dinero oí, tratamos. O ya da vender a casa, capital a malo. Asa cada mitad. Ya da para la oda, lo corre; yo lo odio. Ése oro, lana nadie da ya, Papá.<span>  </span>Sé aro honrado: pedir o morir a palo. IVA lame, mata. Eva usa té sola por no caer cada sábado a lo loco —lo tarado—a secar cielo y lana caída. Roma, nuera, hora rara es. El aro da valor epónimo, drama es acaso dios oído.<span>  </span>Resorte celado jabón es. Lavo ropa, yo seco, no para la talacha. Ateo pesa. Esa alba helada la vemos a Ema. Id. Ese, ése letrado poco le sé, yo soy solo si sale no caro. Rorro, haré poema amoroso. Aso cal, sea la rima rapada. Ir clamor o seré otro coloso lechón. Oí, sí ví moros, éter a patán ya hay. Soy, oh ella, hora caduca.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div id="ftn1"></div>
</div>
<p><!--EndFragment--> <!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><!--StartFragment--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> <br />
</span></p>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Hacia una estética de la burocracia (2009)</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/04/hacia-una-estetica-de-la-burocracia-2009/</link>
		<comments>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/04/hacia-una-estetica-de-la-burocracia-2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:39:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[
 
“Paralelamente al arte por el arte nacido del modernismo, la burocracia por la burocracia es la gran contribución humana a la hiper-modernidad. Sin embargo a diferencia del arte, que hoy se encuentra agotado, la burocracia continúa proli-ferando felizmente y expandiéndose en su paso inexorable. La burocracia es expresionista y abstracta a la vez de ser [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-981" href="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/burocraciacover.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-981" title="burocraciacover" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/burocraciacover-300x400.jpg" alt="burocraciacover" width="300" height="400" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>“Paralelamente al arte por el arte nacido del modernismo, la burocracia por la burocracia es la gran contribución humana a la hiper-modernidad. Sin embargo a diferencia del arte, que hoy se encuentra agotado, la burocracia continúa proli-ferando felizmente y expandiéndose en su paso inexorable. La burocracia es expresionista y abstracta a la vez de ser explícitamente social y política, características que difícilmente el arte más sofisticado de hoy es capaz de reunir.”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hacia una estética de la burocracia es un libro de edición limitada creado para la trienal poligráfica de San Juan, Puerto Rico, y escrito precisamente a raíz de la experiencia burocrática de ese evento. El libro es un breve ensayo que examina las varias vertientes creativas de la burocracia latinoamericana, y la manera en que estas superan en muchos aspectos al arte contemporáneo que se realiza en esas mismas regiones. El libro contiene una serie de diagramas que ilustran la forma en que la burocracia funciona como un medio performativo y creativo  y propone estrategias para maximizar la enajenación producida por los burócratas para así emanciparse en la historia del arte.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Toward an aesthetic theory of Bureaucracy is a limited edition book originally conceived for the San Juan poligraphic Triennial, specifically inspired from the bureucratic experiences  resulting from that event. The book is a small manifesto-like essay which examines the various aspects of bureaucratic procedures as a creative process in latin america, and the ways in which they supersede in many ways, creatively and imaginatively, to the contemporary art produced there. The book has a number of diagrams which show the way in which bureaucracy can function as a performative tool and further proposes ways by which bureaucrats can become emancipated to take over art history. (book currently in Spanish only).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(fragmento del libro a continuación):</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><!--StartFragment--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span><strong>INTRODUCCION</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Paralelamente al arte por el arte nacido del modernismo, la burocracia por la burocracia es la gran contribución humana a la hipermodernidad. Sin embargo a di-ferencia del arte, que hoy se encuentra ago-tado, la burocracia continúa proliferando felizmente y expandiéndose en su paso inexorable. La burocracia es expresionista y abstracta a la vez de ser explícitamente so-cial y política, características que difícilmente el arte más sofisticado de hoy es capaz de reunir.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Y sin embargo, esta práctica esencial de carácterísticas globales ha sido menos-preciada por los críticos y filósofos, y par-ticularmente por los teóricos postcolo-nialistas. Erróneamente ellos han visto a la burocracia como un defecto corrigible ex-clusivo del tercer mundo, un doblez cultural que no tiene por qué existir y que no vale la pena siquiera analizar, como una enfer-medad de la cual ya conocemos los síntomas y el remedio. Nunca se habla de la burocracia como la gran tradición histórica que es, como la monumental expresión cultural que nos define como pueblos y que nos otorga una sofisticación creativa a nivel colectivo que compite con las construcciones artísticas más complejas de la humanidad. Esta omisión por parte de los teóricos, sin duda premeditada, ha contribuído a que las regiones donde estas expresiones se manifiestan de manera más original y creativa hayan quedado al margen de la historia del arte. Y finalmente sus practicantes —los burócratas— han quedado injustamente olvidados, a pesar de su prolífica labor que en una sola vida puede generar decenas de millones de páginas de archivo.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Los filósofos ultra-contemporáneos cuyas obras están en boga hoy en día en los cursos de curaduría —Agamben y Rancière— utilizan respectivamente la noción de potencialidad y emancipación como princi-pios clave para construír un arte que trans-forme a la sociedad. Si bien ambos filósofos nos dan una perspectiva certera y brillante acerca de la <em>raison d’etre</em></span><span> y evolución de estos procesos, aquí trataremos humilde-mente de demostrar que no son los artistas contemporáneos, sino los burócratas, los que son capaces de encabezar esta transfor-mación revolucionaria de nuestra cultura.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span> </span></span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Además de tratar de iniciar un discurso para establecer y reivindicar los principios estéticos de la burocracia, este pequeño libro busca también<span>  </span>inspirar al burócrata a revalorar su oficio a través de contemplarlo no ya como una condena a vivir sentado(a) en un escritorio, sino como un ejercicio de creatividad en el que cada día y cada acto burocrático pueda ser ejercido y apreciado como el profundo gesto artístico que en realidad es. Pero antes de conseguir esa meta es preciso borrar algunas pre-concepciones claves acerca de la buro-cracia y también de ayudarle al lector a entrar en contacto con su gen burocrático.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Si bien la burocracia no es desafortu-nadamente la cualidad exclusiva de los países en vias de desarrollo —se podría afirmar que países como Estados Unidos tienen ya sectores enteros que simulan perfectamente al tercer mundo—<span>  </span>es un hecho que los países de la periferia tienen las condiciones idóneas para desarrollar este medio de una forma que los vuelva epicentros de la cultura mundial y que ayude a atraer la atención a ellos de forma que ni siquiera el turismo, la etnografía, las bienales internacionales o el arte folklórico han conseguido hacer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span>EN BUSCA DE NUESTRO BUROCRATA INTERNO</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Hay quienes al leer esto se digan a sí mismos: “pero yo no soy burócrata”. Esta es una reacción perfectamente natural. Pero la realidad es que todos tenemos un coe-ficiente burocrático en nuestros adentros, si bien más desarrollado en unos que en otros. Todo latinoamericano, por ejemplo, tiene un pro-fundo conocimento y ex-periencia en carne propia de lo que es la burocracia. Se estima, por ejemplo, que cada latinoamericano en promedio, a lo largo de su vida, dedicará el equivalente de 7,401 horas llenando solicitudes, 1,245 horas llenando las formas equi-vocadas, 789 horas firmando recibos y 793 horas firmando contrarrecibos, 1,444 horas frente a la fotocopiadora, dos años y medio en el teléfono haciendo trámites y siete años haciendo cola o sentado en una sala de espera.<span>  </span>Esta clase de experiencia en sí constituye el equivalente, como mínimo, a tener un doctorado en el tema —pero no solo eso:<span>  </span>está bien documentado que mientras más expuesto esté uno a la burocracia, más propenso es uno a practicarla uno mismo, es decir, a ejercerla sobre los otros. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Desafortunadamente el oficio burocrático está tan desprestigiado dentro de nuestra sociedad que la mayoría de nosotros lo practicamos con desgana o simplemente lo ejercemos inconscientemente sin reconocer nuestro verdadero potencial burocrático. El gran filósofo y padre de la hermenéutica Hans-Georg Gadamer dijo una vez: “todos somos los otros y todos somos nosotros mismos”, lo cual se puede parafrasear así: “todos somos la burocracia y todos somos nuestro propio burócrata.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Con el fin de desarrollar este potencial interno, es fundamental aceptar de nuestra identidad burocrática y demostar las mane-ras en que se puede desarrollar, redirigir y enfocar nuestro talento burocrático de forma creativa y conceptual para lograr una vida espiritualmente rica y trascender la opacidad de una carrera estrictamente oficinesca.<span>  </span>Posteriormente se demostrará que el burocratismo, bien ejercido, funciona como un arma de defensa, con un grado de efectividad similar al Jiujitsu. Sobra decir que un burócrata talentoso que desarrolle sus dotes artísticas logrará generar el máximo nivel de burocracia posible, el cual a su vez generará la necesidad de contratar a más burócratas para sostener el sistema. Y es así,<span>  </span>como se verá, que la burocracia practicada como arte puede ser un acto de activismo social inusitado y transformativo, emancipando al arte del actual yugo de extrema eficencia, raciocinio e individua-lismo que le otorga el mercado.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span></p>
<div id="attachment_982" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 315px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-982" href="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/eb2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-982" title="eb2" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/eb2-305x400.jpg" alt="Fig. II.  Ejemplo de un laberinto burocratizado con seis círculos viciosos y ocho sesiones de trámites donde (a) es el individuo burocratizado, (b) es el actor burocratizador, (c) el supervisor del trámite, y (s) la salida. La línea divisoria entre (a) y (b) indica una exitosa división de impersonalidad para complejizar el proceso, y que hay una sano aislamiento de comunicación entre los tres individuos, para garantizar la mayor demora posible en la resolución del trámite." width="305" height="400" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Fig. II.  Ejemplo de un laberinto burocratizado con seis círculos viciosos y ocho sesiones de trámites donde (a) es el individuo burocratizado, (b) es el actor burocratizador, (c) el supervisor del trámite, y (s) la salida. La línea divisoria entre (a) y (b) indica una exitosa división de impersonalidad para complejizar el proceso, y que hay una sano aislamiento de comunicación entre los tres individuos, para garantizar la mayor demora posible en la resolución del trámite.</p></div>
<p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span>BREVISIMA HISTORIA DE LA BUROCRACIA EN LATINOAMERICA</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>¿Cuál es el origen de la burocracia latinoamericana? Sería difícil probar que las sociedades precolombinas eran burocráti-cas. A juzgar a través de las relaciones históricas sobre la sociedad Azteca, por ejemplo, las estructuras legales encabe-zadas por el líder o <em>Tlatoani </em></span><span>muestran toda evidencia de haber sido bastante organi-zadas, y si bien sus sistemas de orden social y político eran algo sangrientos, no se puede decir que no fueran eficientes.<span>   </span>La burocracia latinoamericana se puede re-montar<span>  </span>más directamente a la jerarquía administrativa de la colonia, tanto del virreinato como de la iglesia, por el sencillo factor que las verdaderas decisiones no se podían tomar sino hasta del otro lado del océano y podían transcurrir meses o años antes de que una decisión fuera tomada o un permiso aprobado (tradición que gene-ralmente aún predomina en las mejores burocracias). </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Cuando latinoamérica entra a la moderni-dad, si se sigue el razonamiento de Max Weber en torno a la ética de trabajo pro-testante, lo que se preservó en cambio fue la ética católica de la contrarreforma, que en vez que mirar al futuro miraba al pasado y a continuar las tradiciones burocráticas a como diera lugar, en particular aquellas que generaban más burocracia (en la filosofía burocrática, la noción de sim-plificación es considerada como un aten-tado a la tradición). En el siglo veinte, en latinoamérica al igual que en el resto del mundo se confrontan las virtudes y defectos de dos modelos socioeconómicos: socialismo y capitalismo. Mientras que en otras re-giones del mundo se buscó implementar una combinación de ambos modelos que funcione de manera más eficiente —por ejemplo, fusionar socia-lización de servicios en algunos sectores con el libre mercado en otros— en latinoamérica se busca en cambio fusionar los aspectos más imprácticos de ambos sistemas, como optar por el entero aparato socialista gubernamental pero establecido de manera antidemocrática, privatizar el mercado pero a través de monopolios, y promover la mayor desi-gualdad social posible— todos estos ingre-dientes fundamentales para generar la perfecta burocracia. Dicho de otra manera, la historia de latinoamérica nunca se ha definido por la democracia ni siquiera por la plutocracia, sino por la burocracia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></p>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Artoons</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/02/artoons/</link>
		<comments>http://pablohelguera.net/2009/02/artoons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:56:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Book Excerpts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Nonsense]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sociology of art]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[
Artoons is a series of books of cartoons about the artworld (Volume I &#8211; January 2009; Volume II- October 2009). The cartoons have been published in many art publications internationally from Ireland to Brazil and new ones continue to appear on a regular basis in a number of web and print publications.  They were first [...]]]></description>
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<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/types-of-suicide.jpg' title='types of suicide'><img width="150" height="115" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/types-of-suicide-150x115.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="types of suicide" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/remember-we-used-to-ignore-you.jpg' title='remember we used to ignore you'><img width="150" height="141" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/remember-we-used-to-ignore-you-150x141.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="remember we used to ignore you" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/normally-i-would-say-something.jpg' title='normally i would say something'><img width="150" height="149" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/normally-i-would-say-something-150x149.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="normally i would say something" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/discussion-no-one-cares-about.jpg' title='discussion no one cares about'><img width="150" height="137" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/discussion-no-one-cares-about-150x137.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="discussion no one cares about" /></a>
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<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/youve-had-too-many-art-fairs.jpg' title='youve-had-too-many-art-fairs'><img width="150" height="130" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/youve-had-too-many-art-fairs-150x130.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="youve-had-too-many-art-fairs" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/you-are-the-artist-of-the-moment.jpg' title='you-are-the-artist-of-the-moment'><img width="136" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/you-are-the-artist-of-the-moment-136x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="you-are-the-artist-of-the-moment" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/we-represent-the-most-important.jpg' title='we-represent-the-most-important'><img width="150" height="145" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/we-represent-the-most-important-150x145.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="we-represent-the-most-important" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/we-are-telling-everyone-its-an.jpg' title='we-are-telling-everyone-its-an'><img width="150" height="146" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/we-are-telling-everyone-its-an-150x146.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="we-are-telling-everyone-its-an" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-real-tom-sawyer.jpg' title='the-real-tom-sawyer'><img width="150" height="111" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-real-tom-sawyer-150x111.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="the-real-tom-sawyer" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-emperor-is-wearing.jpg' title='the-emperor-is-wearing'><img width="133" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-emperor-is-wearing-133x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="the-emperor-is-wearing" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/reincarnation.jpg' title='reincarnation'><img width="150" height="114" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/reincarnation-150x114.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="reincarnation" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/just-enjoying-myself.jpg' title='just-enjoying-myself'><img width="114" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/just-enjoying-myself-114x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="just-enjoying-myself" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/im-always-amazed.jpg' title='im-always-amazed'><img width="146" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/im-always-amazed-146x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="im-always-amazed" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/i-think-i-saw.jpg' title='i-think-i-saw'><img width="125" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/i-think-i-saw-125x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="i-think-i-saw" /></a>
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<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/dodo-knows-gombrich.jpg' title='dodo-knows-gombrich'><img width="150" height="103" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/dodo-knows-gombrich-150x103.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="dodo-knows-gombrich" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/cuteness-sm.jpg' title='cuteness-sm'><img width="150" height="104" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/cuteness-sm-150x104.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="cuteness-sm" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/now-i-think.jpg' title='now-i-think'><img width="127" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/now-i-think-127x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="now-i-think" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/conference-papers2.jpg' title='conference-papers2'><img width="139" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/conference-papers2-139x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="conference-papers2" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/your-shows-suck.jpg' title='your-shows-suck'><img width="150" height="117" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/your-shows-suck-150x117.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="your-shows-suck" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/gallery-marriage-2.jpg' title='gallery-marriage-2'><img width="147" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/gallery-marriage-2-147x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="gallery-marriage-2" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/sad-clown.jpg' title='sad-clown'><img width="150" height="125" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/sad-clown-150x125.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="sad-clown" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/my-proposal.jpg' title='my-proposal'><img width="150" height="147" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/my-proposal-150x147.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="my-proposal" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/performo.jpg' title='performo'><img width="143" height="150" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/performo-143x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="performo" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/iraq-puppy.jpg' title='iraq-puppy'><img width="150" height="89" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/iraq-puppy-150x89.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="iraq-puppy" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-theory-doesnt-match.jpg' title='the-theory-doesnt-match'><img width="150" height="131" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-theory-doesnt-match-150x131.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="the-theory-doesnt-match" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/i-always-thought-you-were.jpg' title='i-always-thought-you-were'><img width="150" height="123" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/i-always-thought-you-were-150x123.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="i-always-thought-you-were" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/same-artist-lineup-sm.jpg' title='same-artist-lineup-sm'><img width="150" height="113" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/same-artist-lineup-sm-150x113.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="same-artist-lineup-sm" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/i-just-want-you-and-the-audienc.jpg' title='i-just-want-you-and-the-audienc'><img width="150" height="148" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/i-just-want-you-and-the-audienc-150x148.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="i-just-want-you-and-the-audienc" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/stupid-questions2.jpg' title='stupid-questions2'><img width="150" height="136" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/stupid-questions2-150x136.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="stupid-questions2" /></a>
<a href='http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/baselitz.jpg' title='baselitz'><img width="150" height="135" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/baselitz-150x135.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="" title="baselitz" /></a>

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<p class="MsoNormal">Artoons is a series of books of cartoons about the artworld (Volume I &#8211; January 2009; Volume II- October 2009). The cartoons have been published in many art publications internationally from Ireland to Brazil and new ones continue to appear on a regular basis in a number of web and print publications.  They were first developed for <a href="http://www.artworldsalon.com">Artworldsalon.com</a>, where they continue to appear on a regular basis.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a title="Jorge Pinto Books" href="http://www.pintobooks.com/illustratedbooks10Helguera.html">http://www.pintobooks.com/illustratedbooks10Helguera.html</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>“An artist, museum educator, and man about town (specifically, New York City), Helguera is an amateur anthropologist of the art world. (…) [Helguera’s] cartoons really do capture the foibles, ironies, and occasional stupidity of the art world with a clarity and economy that only a simple pen drawing and a short piece of text can achieve. They fill an important gap. Cartooning is rarely done in the art world (…) Maybe the problem isn’t the humor, but the truth. It may take years of sleuthing for Helguera, the anthropologist, to figure out why this is so. In the meantime, Pablo’s <em>Artoons</em></span><span> can do the talking for us.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><em>—From the foreword by Adrás Szántó</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>In a way, <em>Artoons</em></span><span> is the enactment of Helguera’s <em>Manual de Estilo del Arte Contemporáneo</em></span><span> (Manual of Contemporary Art Style, 2005), an amusing book of arty etiquette, at times irreverent, at times even inconsiderate, and always genial, that aimed to establish the conventions, functions, and hierarchies tacitly ruling the Art World community, and to pave the way to stardom for neophytes within the art elites; a book that also served as a guide for those interested in playing “the game of the Art World.” If, the <em>Manual</em></span><span> advised the new artist on how to inflate his or her CV without having to resort to imaginary exhibitions, or suggested the proper ways for a viewer to escape a never-ending video-installation when the artist is present, or apprised us of whether we should sleep with an artist whose work we hate, Helguera’s <em>Artoons</em></span><span> act upon that art scene, in which Helguera himself is a prominent member, to mock, or to self-mock, what continues to amaze this audacious artist: <strong>“</strong></span><span>We all take ourselves so seriously despite the fact that our rituals are so socially awkward, our writings are so incomprehensible and our art is so strange. Sometimes humor needs to come to the rescue to make sense of things.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> <span>I’m nor sure this new volume of <em>Artoons</em></span><span>, which makes fun of us, along with those other characters—“the annoying museum visitor or the mediocre artist or the wannabe collector or theorist”—will contribute in any way to making sense of this Art World that, as Barry Schwabsky once said, “doesn’t know whether it is a subculture pretending to be a culture or a culture pretending to be a subculture.”<span> </span>But I’m sure that the combination of knowing satire and romantic enthusiasm that Helguera offers to test not only his integrity as an artist but our own limitations, will help those who are ready to enjoy our caricatures. Someone whose name escapes me once said that, beyond the tragic and the ironic, humor is the art of surfaces, of doubles and displacements, where significations, heights, and depths are suspended. Helguera’s humor leads us to the surface of things, where sense is produced, in the magic instance of our laugh, by the nonsense of the superficial. That instant of the pure sense is what Helguera has been searching for in his performances, as he has moved and continues to move.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>&#8211;From the Foreword of Artoons 2, by Octavio Zaya</span></p>
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		<title>The Pablo Helguera Manual of Contemporary Art Style/ Manual de Estilo del Arte Contemporáneo</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2005/01/the-pablo-helguera-manual-of-contemporary-art-style-manual-de-estilo-del-arte-contemporaneo/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Jan 2005 13:58:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Book Excerpts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Sociology of art]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[
“You’ll find all sorts of things in Helguera’s Manual that aren’t in any other book: the difference between an A-level artist and a B-level artist, how to cure the dreaded “festivalist syndrome,” how to keep your conviction that you’re the greatest artist in history, and whether it is ethical for a critic to sleep with [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph Free_Form"><a href="http://www.pintobooks.com/booksintransPabloHelguera.html"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-610" title="manual-cover-new2" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/manual-cover-new2-309x400.jpg" alt="manual-cover-new2" width="309" height="400" /></a></div>
<div class="paragraph Free_Form"><span>“You’ll find all sorts of things in Helguera’s </span><span>Manual</span><span> that aren’t in any other book: the difference between an A-level artist and a B-level artist, how to cure the dreaded “festivalist syndrome,” how to keep your conviction that you’re the greatest artist in history, and whether it is ethical for a critic to sleep with an artist whose work she doesn’t like.<span>This is a very funny book. It masquerades as an old-fashioned guide to the manners and foibles of the art world, written by a savvy twenty-first century artist. But it is clever, and has many voices: snide like Miss Manners, sweet and impeccable like Emily Post, hapless like Bouvard and Pécuchet, earnest like an </span><span>Art World for Dummies</span><span>, sharp like Swift’s encyclopedia of clichés, sneaky like David Wilson’s fabricated documents for the </span><span>Museum of Jurassic Technology.</span><span> Helguera’s tongue seems to be in his cheek—that’s what you’re meant to think—but he is often very helpful, and everything he says is true.” </span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph Free_Form"><span> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph Free_Form"><span>&#8211;James Elkins, author of </span><span>How to Use your Eyes</span><span> and </span><span>Our Beautiful, Dry and Distant Texts: Art History as Writing</span><span>.</span></div>
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<div class="paragraph Free_Form"><span><br />
</span></div>
<div class="paragraph Body"><span>The Pablo Helguera Manual of Contemporary Art Style</span><span> was published in 2005 by Tumbona ediciones in Mexico City and the English version  in March 2007 by  Jorge Pinto Books. The book functions as a social etiquette manual for the complex contemporary art world. Should one sleep with an artist whose work one does not like? What do you say to a good friend who is exhibiting horrid works at his opening? How does one approach a gallery tastefully? The book answers all these questions with lots of examples and information. There is a glossary of art terms at the end of the book. For example: “</span><span>Art School</span><span>: Institution that teaches XIXth Century art techniques, XXth Century art history, and bills students with the tuitions of the upcoming century, under the assumption that art students will be able to fend with the present on their own.”   </p>
<p><a title="title at Jorge Pinto Books" href="http://www.pintobooks.com/booksintransPabloHelguera.html">http://www.pintobooks.com/booksintransPabloHelguera.html<br />
</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph Body">(see also</div>
<div class="paragraph Body"><strong></strong><strong><a class="row-title" title="Edit &quot;We all Need a Pygmalion (2005)&quot;" href="post.php?action=edit&amp;post=654">We all Need a Pygmalion (2005)</a></strong></div>
<div class="paragraph Body"><strong><br />
</strong></div>
<div class="paragraph Body">We include here an excerpt from the book ( from the section that corresponds to collectors)</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer"><strong>The Collector</strong></div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">The collector’s, or trustee’s, position is the most enviable of them all, given that collectorship is not a profession but a hobby. Collectors are not subjected to pressure or influence by any part of the AW. Collectors perform their roles in an entirely free but not altogether disinterested manner; some do regard this activity as a professional sport and compete with other collectors.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">Collectors rarely have any formal art background, and in general this background is not necessary for collecting, since they can be guided by specialists (curators or museum directors) who advise them in their shopping ventures. Nevertheless, collectors today have evolved from a passive to an active involvement in the AW. During the period up to the middle of the 20th Century, collectors would provide donations to institutions and would support artists by buying their work. Contemporary collectors are stockholders in a high risk market where art comprises the collector’s portfolios. Considering that the acquisition of the work represents a financial risk, the collectors become directly involved in influencing the direction of the AW. An influential collector who puts up for sale all the works in his collection created a certain artist would flood the market for these works, causing a drop in the prices of works by that artist.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">On the other hand, given the collectors’economic and physical mobility, they are better exposed to artworks and artists. Being the main clients of galleries and museums, they are the ones with the greatest ability to pressure for the display of certain kinds of art. This is why it is understandable that immaterial art (such as performance art or social experiments) is not greatly favored by the AW.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">What makes a good collector/trustee? As in any sport, the collectors must succeed in the following: a) establishing a consistent quality of works in their collections; b) amply stocking those quality works; c) keeping and broadcasting a record of the number of works they have given or promised to give in the past) d) operating within a supportive family in order to ensure that the family will not fight a will bequeathing works to an institution e) establishing a single institutional affiliation (a collector affiliated with more institutions dilutes the giving possibilities) f) avoiding interference with institutional agenda (it is preferable, in the best of all possible worlds, to have a collector who simply gives and refrains from attempting to run the institution’s agenda, although most believe this restraint is now a thing of the past) e) refraining from developing curatorial aspirations (some collectors even attempt to curate-a big turnoff for institutions), and last but not least f) developing interest in hosting (collectors need to supply the entertaining for most social instances in the AW.)</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">The following are a few etiquette musts for the good collector:</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">1.    The collector must embrace his role and status in the AW. Some duties will involve attending boring board of trustee meetings, approving budgets, listening to the director’s promotional speeches, attending openings, and hosting galas and opening parties for institutional sponsors.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">2.    Collectors must excel in their patience. They must understand that the AW in its entirety is in constant competition for their attention. At social events, even in instances where the collectors are not the least interested in someone’s conversation, they will have to show courtesy to those who show them merchandise or invite them to social events.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">3.    The collector shall not abuse his/her power in the AW by forcing curators, dealers and artists to see his/her personal family album, or forcing them to see each work in their collection, especially if the collection exceeds 4,000 works.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">4.    The collector must not be too cruel in the process of seducing a gallerist or artist by making the gallerist or artist believe that he is interested in them when he only wants to have fun.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">5.    Similarly, the collector must have certain regard toward dealers, curators and artists in social events that he/she organizes. All these people will feel obligated to attend the events, listen the collector’s personal stories, and nod approvingly in response to everything the collector says, including the most passing thoughts, for as long as the collector speaks. It is important for the collector to realize that the reason that this entourage has been assembled is purely for work reasons: a similar situation is when the office boss subjects his employees to an interminable story of his family vacations. Collectors must understand that their concerns, likely resulting from a comfortable position of money and privilege, are generally fairly incomprehensible, irrelevant, and superficial to others who are not able to partake in that kind of life.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">6.    Many collectors, when they start improving the quality of their collections, will begin to look into ways in which they can dispose of the works of certain artists who may not be “at the level” of the rest of the collection, especially those that perhaps were acquired at an early stage in their hobby. This activity, while essential, is extremely delicate and can cause the complete downfall of the artist’s career. The collector will have to observe maximum discretion in the sale of unwanted work.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">7.    On some occasions, collectors who serve as trustees will have the opportunity to pressure the museum director to exhibit the works of the artists that comprise their personal collections in order to raise the value of this collection. It is unethical, nevertheless, to influence the museum to operate in such way without promising the donation of some works of this collection to the museum—or, alternatively, if the museum is not interested in those works, to offer money toward the construction of a new wing. Since the museum is risking its reputation by following these collectors’wishes, the individual collectors will also have to show their support.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">8.    It is recommended for collectors that, in order to acquire certain perspective on the situations of others, to take “reality courses.”These courses have the objective of encouraging the collectors to imagine their lives without any kind of financial resource or security, having to live exclusively by their own talent. Because this experience can be extremely traumatic for most collectors, it is recommended they participate in these courses for three to four days at most.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">The Collectors’Community</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">The collector, who generally is flattered and admired by all, has only one thing to fear: other collectors. Collectors compete only with each other. Collectors will be jealous of their respective territories and, like children who collect sports cards, will do everything possible to have the one artwork that everyone wishes to have.  As a result, the collector should operate with care among his colleagues, give little information about his relationships with other institutions, and maintain friendly relations with all.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">The Living Room Couch Crisis</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">Seasoned collectors will inevitably have to face the process of convincing their families (and particularly their spouses or life partners) to support each individual art purchase as well as their collecting hobbies in general. Among some of the traditional dilemmas faced by collectors, one of the greatest is acquiring a work that does not match with the living room’s couch.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">In this case, it will be the collector’s responsibility to take certain precautions in order to not disappoint the artist nor his/her wife/husband/partner. One of these precautions might be to budget allowing for purchase of additional living room couches to compliment every artwork. In some cases, an additional living room can be built, or the work can be shipped to the winter home in Miami or San Diego.</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">see also</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer">interview in spanish/entrevista en español</div>
<div class="paragraph Footer"><a href="http://http://www.hechoenoaxaca.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=94:entrevista-a-pablo-helguera&amp;catid=26:entrevistas&amp;Itemid=15">http://www.hechoenoaxaca.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=94:entrevista-a-pablo-helguera&amp;catid=26:entrevista</a><a href="http://whitehotmagazine.com/index.php?action=articles&amp;wh_article_id=1105"></a>s&amp;Itemid=15</div>
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		<title>Dead Languages Conservatory</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2004/02/dead-languages-conservatory/</link>
		<comments>http://pablohelguera.net/2004/02/dead-languages-conservatory/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2004 00:07:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Performance]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pablohelguera.net/?p=463</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
2004- ongoing
Of the more than 6,500 languages currently being spoken, in the world, fewer than half are likely to survive the next century.  Conservatorio de Lenguas Muertas  (Dead Languages Conservatory) is a project that explores the quick disappearance of dying languages, which function as symbols of the memory of different languages.  The [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-464" title="droppedimage1" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/droppedimage1.jpg" alt="droppedimage1" width="346" height="230" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-466" title="pablo-helguera" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/pablo-helguera.jpg" alt="pablo-helguera" width="281" height="230" /><br />
<strong>2004- ongoing</strong></p>
<p>Of the more than 6,500 languages currently being spoken, in the world, fewer than half are likely to survive the next century.  Conservatorio de Lenguas Muertas  (Dead Languages Conservatory) is a project that explores the quick disappearance of dying languages, which function as symbols of the memory of different languages.  The project creates a symbolic museum of phonograph recordings of songs and texts of languages in extinction. Wax cylinder recording, invented by Thomas Edison in the 1870s as the first method of recording is in itself an almost extinct way of recording.<br />
Exhibited at the San Juan Poli-Graphic Triennial (2004), Julia Friedman Gallery, New York (2005), <em>The Only Book</em>, Center for Book Arts (2006), <em>Cart(ajena)</em>, Cartagena, Colombia (2007),  and <em>Die Lucky Bush </em>at the MuHKA, Antwerp (2008) amongst many others.</p>
<p>Installation view at <em>Die Lucky Bush</em> at the MuHKA, Antwerp (2008):</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-1623" href="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/Die-Lucky-Bush-view-photo-clinckx_11.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1623" title="Die Lucky Bush view photo clinckx_11" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/Die-Lucky-Bush-view-photo-clinckx_11-700x505.jpg" alt="" width="560" height="404" /></a></p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-1623" href="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/Die-Lucky-Bush-view-photo-clinckx_11.jpg"></a><a rel="attachment wp-att-1622" href="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/Die-Lucky-Bush-view-photo-clinckx_4.jpg"><img title="Die Lucky Bush view photo clinckx_4" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/Die-Lucky-Bush-view-photo-clinckx_4-700x466.jpg" alt="" width="560" height="373" /></a></p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-1621" href="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/MuHKA_Imogen-Stidworthy_074.jpg"><img title="MuHKA_Imogen Stidworthy_074" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2004/02/MuHKA_Imogen-Stidworthy_074-700x465.jpg" alt="" width="560" height="372" /></a></p>
<p>Installation view at <em>Committed Explanations in Geography</em> at the Cooper Union, New York (2009):</p>
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		<title>Primer Congreso de Purificación Cultural Urbana</title>
		<link>http://pablohelguera.net/2003/09/primer-congreso-de-purificacion-cultural-urbana/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2003 05:37:50 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ 
 
 

The Primer congreso de purificación cultural urbana de la ciudad de México (First Congress of Urban Purification of Mexico City) was a collaborative project by Ilana Boltvinik and Pablo Helguera made in response to the increasingly conservative climate of government-run cultural policy—or lack thereof— in Mexico.  The project took form of an actual conference in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> </p>
<div id="attachment_731" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 410px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-731" title="congreso-jornada2" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2003/09/congreso-jornada2-400x329.jpg" alt="La Jornada Newspaper, Mexico City, July 13, 2003" width="400" height="329" /><p class="wp-caption-text">La Jornada Newspaper, Mexico City, July 13, 2003</p></div>
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<p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-576" title="comienzo" src="http://pablohelguera.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/comienzo-400x300.jpg" alt="comienzo" width="400" height="300" /></p>
<p>The Primer congreso de purificación cultural urbana de la ciudad de México (First Congress of Urban Purification of Mexico City) was a collaborative project by Ilana Boltvinik and Pablo Helguera made in response to the increasingly conservative climate of government-run cultural policy—or lack thereof— in Mexico.  The project took form of an actual conference in the Hotel de la Ciudad de Mexico in downtown Mexico City in May of 2003.  The project was never advertised as an art project but as a real conference with a call of papers that insidiously claimed that “culture, like the environment, is polluted”, and invited submissions as to how to “purify” it. Many submissions were received from as far as Colombia,  and 6 were selected for the conference, while 6 others were written as scripts and read by actors, unbeknownst to the audience. The 6 “scripted” submissions were in a sense a response to the 6 “real” submissions, formulating statements or points of view that are rarely expressed in academic or public forums.  The following two scripted papers here include the one read by the Mexican curator Marco Barrera Bassols,  calling for the complete elimination of national arts funding —arguing that most of that funding goes to support a bureaucratic apparatus and too little to actual art making. At the time, Rudolf Giuliani had been hired by the Mexico City government to be a security advisor.  The  paper read by performance artist Ryan Hill, who was introduced as director of a pro-Giuliani organization, proposed a US-run cultural policy program for Mexico inspired in Giuliani’s own conservative view of culture (not to long ago Giuliani, while New York City mayor, had sought to take away funding from the Brooklyn Museum for the display of Chris Ofili’s painting).<br />
This last paper generated a media blitz and outrage over the notion of an US-led cultural policy, published by the papers La Jornada, Reforma, Universal, Milenio and others, which in turn led to a public debate on cultural policy as originally intended.</p>
<p>&#8211;</p>
<p>(exerpt from the performace script:<br />
Ryan Hill&#8217;s paper)</p>
<p>Thank you for coming today to this event. As assistant director of the department of cultural services  and assigned representative of the Rudolph Giuliani Commission for this congress, I would like to start my presentation by speaking about our current positions and our projects related to our improvement of the cultural life of Mexico City. After that, I will get into th specifics of our cultural program, known as PROLICU.</p>
<p>As you may or may not know,  the Commission is an independent, not-for profit, organism of philantropic nature, which focuses its energies in solving the current problems experienced in Mexico City in what culture is concerned. The Culture Department, which was created at the beginning of 2002, with the intention to increment the range of action of the Commission, is based on the same theorical principles, that is to say, to “condemt and do everything that could be done to abolish all and every one of the abuses towards life and humanity”, followed by various accords such as “ bringing  to light and clean all the physically hazardous practices to mental health, and preserving such cleanliness”. Of course, it is of utmost importance to consider cultural practices as part of mental health.</p>
<p>From its very beginnings, the members of the commission have made an uninterupted stand against the brutal treatments and criminal practices and abuses against social  and cultural human hygiene, following as its main principle the emphasis of moral renovation implemented by Rudolf W. Giuliani as major of the City of New York. The Commission has become a really effective force in the promotion of changes in this area.</p>
<p>Our program known as PROLICU is dedicated to the research and identification of any violations to cultural hygiene, both in the psychiatric and physical sense. Although it is a relatively young organization, it has already accomplished a profound cultural study with the help of many national and international experts in order to present, in the most complete way possible, the action plan that we plan to follow to implement the cultural cleaning of this city.</p>
<p>I will now describe the Program of Cultural Cleanup (PROLICU) in its first stages and Characteristics.</p>
<p>Program of Cultural Purification (PROLICU)</p>
<p>The international program for the cultural purification of Mexico City, better known as PROLICU, was launched in 2002 by the Commission. The project, carefully developed with the objective of completely reforming the life of Mexico City through a thorough cultural cleanup, consists in a series of key steps that need yet to be implemented.</p>
<p>First  Phase: Case Study and Cultural Evaluation<br />
The general comission of PROLICU, composed by those members of the government who may consider themselves  knowledgeable in the field of arts, will carefully analize the cultural program of each one of the city’s museums, houses of culture, universities, schools, galleries, and activity centers open to the public, identifying where they can, those instances in which the activities may be considered immoral — which is not the case of every institution, although it is estimated that 78% of cultural centers in Mexico City have such condition to some extent and need of profound renovation in this aspect.</p>
<p>Second Phase: Cleanup and Renovation<br />
All the directors, curators, museum administrators, and employees of government-run galleries, cultural centers and community centers whose cultural discipline and challenge to authority will be immediately dismissed, without any previous notification.</p>
<p>Third Phase: Reprogramming, Regulation, and Quotas</p>
<p>After the selection of the new group of directors from all cultural spaces in Mexico, a new Organization will be announced, known as the Comission of Morality and Public Decency (CoMoDePu), a principal organ of PROLICU,  which will be in charge of supervising all the cultural entities in Mexico City, ranging from public dependencies to private ones, with the objective to approve any artistic proyect on the basis of its civic decency. Every exhibition project, concert, publication, or expression that shall be transmitted to a public larger than 8 people should be presented  to the authorities of the CoMoDePu and meet the following requirements:<br />
1)    To promote a positive image of Mexico City;<br />
2)    Completely lack any reference to sexual acts or attack to morality,<br />
3)    Not use bad words,<br />
4)    Not utter the name of God or Mexico in vain, nor in a profane way under any circumstance;<br />
5)    Not use foreign words unless to announce commercial products; local indigenous languages also excepted</p>
<p>Those cultural producers and/or administrators who would participate in works supposedly of an “artistic” nature that would not follow the previous rules, will be immediately subject to fines and quotas of up to $10,000.00 U.S. dlls. Additionally, any other work that would be considered to make reference, either directly or metaphorically, to any slanderous  attack of political, social, religious or economic nature will be confiscated and examined by the CoMoDePu until deemed appropriate or not for public viewing. Exempted from this rule are all the artists and creators who may have received lifelong scholarships by CONACULTA.</p>
<p>Fourth Phase: Education and Progress<br />
The Commission will simultaneously establish a renovation program in the artistic curriculum  in Mexico City schools, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.<br />
In this program, ellaborated by experts, the lacks in the current educational system will be addressed and there will be special classes given for the training of future artists.</p>
<p>Fifth Phase: Unforseen Changes<br />
The Commission will take on the task of replacing any directive whenever necessary, without making any explanations for the reasons of his or her dismissal. Possible reasons for such dismissal may include:</p>
<p>1)    Expressing aesthetic points of view which may differ from the preestablished guidelines for the artistic advancement of the city,<br />
2)    Unnanounced activities,<br />
3)    Collaborations with international institutions that are not sanctioned  by the government.</p>
<p>Sixth Phase: Social function of Museums  and Others<br />
The commission will establish a special calendar of availability of all the cultural centers in the city, wether public or private. Under the instructions of CONACULTA, these spaces will make their locations available to realize, in strict order of priority:<br />
1)    government-related and official events,<br />
2)    official exhibitions and events organized by CONACULTA,<br />
3)    exhibitions, lectures, and events by government-approved artists.</p>
<p>These few steps, which are only the first ones to accomplish a true renovation of the management of culture in Mexico City, will no doubt bring an immediate benefit to all the audiences and the people who appreciate art in the city, and will also provide a more efficient mechanism for the development of the cultural program in the city. ****</p>
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