Opening: Thursday, October 16th, 6 p.m Reserve tickets at: museobancodemexico.mx For the first time, the Banco de México Museum is participating in BIENALSUR, currently in its fifth edition. This international contemporary art biennial offers an artistic and cultural journey that transcends borders. From its starting point in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Tokyo, Japan, it spans over 18,000 kilometres, connecting spaces, artists and audiences worldwide. The work of Argentine artist Augusto Zanela highlights the dual meaning of the Spanish word “divisa”: as both foreign currency and the act of looking into the distance. Through this interplay of meanings, his piece prompts reflection on the dynamics of the exchange market and, simultaneously, on how the gaze is educated as a tool for positioning oneself in the world. This piece was designed specifically for display at the Banco de México Museum. It features monetary symbols, such as the peso and Asian currencies, which are constructed from light and act as beacons indicating their location while facing each other. In this way, the work reduces symbolic distances and encourages us to reflect on currency and the gaze as forms of relationship and exchange. Zanela's proposal continues a series of investigations focusing on the movement of bodies and the gaze, with the aim of creating works that shed light on the transformation of things as a result of displacement. To achieve this, the artist revisits two key elements of three-dimensional representation: anamorphosis and the “vantage point”, a term he uses to describe the optimal viewpoint from which forms are revealed. These academic art foundations enter the realm of contemporary art through the convergence of technology and perception. Clarisa Appendino (BIENALSUR) / Ethel Ramos (MUSEO BANCO DE MÉXICO)
Image: Augusto Zanela