"Anti-Espaliú: from Model Figure to Intertext (or, Towards a Larger Cartography of AIDS Politics in the Basque Country and Spain)" [book chapter, 2015] (original) (raw)
Related papers
Taking Murals Seriously: Basque Murals and Mobilisation
International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 2015
The purpose of this article is to take the admonition of taking the visual seriously into the realms of murals. It will present empirical data on contemporary murals in the Basque Country with a view to examining why murals are important to the abertzale-left, the broad left-wing nationalist movement in the Basque Country which includes but ranges far beyond the armed group ETA. The struggle for Basque autonomy from Spain has its roots in a nationalist awakening in the late twentieth century. It has developed through the struggle with fascism; the prolonged authoritarian, centralist state; and the transition to democracy after the death of Franco. Central to this development has been the definition of Basque identity in terms of culture rather than birth. Language has been key, but there has also been a visual strand to the struggle. The article will examine the state of that visual strand currently by examining murals on a range of themes: language and culture, independence and socialism, armed struggle, political prisoners, torture and repression, martyrs and heroes, women and environmental issues.
Sculptures of Discord: Public Art and the Politics of Commemoration in the Basque Country
Public Art Dialog, 2014
This article looks at the politics of public art in the Spanish Basque region of Euskadi, and focuses on the ongoing debates about sculptures commemorating ‘victims of terrorism’. Should they be exclusively dedicated to the victims of E.T.A., the Basque left-wing separatist group, which, since the end of the Franco regime, turned into what many consider a “terrorist” organization? Or should such sculptures also honor the suffering of those who have experienced violence at the hands of the Spanish state? Opposing political factions in Euskadi contest these questions. I analyze the impact of this contestation in Euskadi on the type of public commemorative sculpture created and on the public interaction with it. The article explores the role that politics play in the appreciation of such artwork, as well as the impact that politics has on the artist. Based upon ongoing ethnographic research in the region, this work contributes to our understanding of the importance of public art as a form and function of identity politics.
Slightly earlier version of chapter 7, 'Political graffiti', of my 'Expressing identities in the Basque arena', Oxford: James Currey, 2006, pp.151-61
Beyond Guernica and the Guggenheim: Art and Politics from a Comparative Perspective
2015
This book brings together experts from different fields of study, including sociology, anthropology, art history and art criticism to share their research and direct experience on the topic of art and politics. How art and politics relate with each other can be studied from numerous perspectives and standpoints. The book is structured according to three main themes: Part 1, on Valuing Art, broadly concerns the question of who, how and what value is given to art, and how this may change over time and circumstance, depending on the social and political situation and motivation of different interest groups. Part 2, on Artistic Political Engagement, reflects on another dimension of art and politics, that of how artists may be intentionally engaged with politics, either via their social and political status and/or through the kind of art they produce and how they frame it in terms of meaning. Part 3, on Exhibitions and Curating, focuses on yet another aspect of the relationship between a...
Political critique in Madrid's urban art scene: from the late '90s until now
The aim of this paper is to explore the political messages painted on Madrid's walls by urban artists from the beginning of this artistic and political movement (the end of the 1990s) to the present day. We developed an extensive fieldwork that has helped us to create the first compilation of the key political messages of urban art in Madrid, based on an exploratory research approach complemented by the use of social media search. This descriptive and documentary approach was followed while keeping in mind that a wall is a public channel open to all and an outstanding method for expressing any political opinion with the greatest amount of visibility. Over the time span analyzed, the investigation discovered 15 urban artists with political content in their artistic production. The findings indicate that the political theme of these artists' works focuses primarily on condemning the Spanish government for current issues such as corruption or the economic crisis, as well as past events such as the Iraq War. Other recurring themes include social criticism of municipal policies and the living conditions of underprivileged groups such as refugees and beggars, as well as support for feminism and critiques of the rapid gentrification process of certain historic Madrid neighborhoods, such as Malasaña and Lavapiés.
Gernika, Guernica, Guernica?: Contested meanings of a Basque place
2000
Raento, Pauliina & Cameron J. Watson (2000). Gernika, Guernica, Guernica? Contested meanings of a Basque place. Political Geography 19: 6, 707–736. ABSTRACT The town of Gernika/Guernica is the center for meaning and territorial continuity of Basque nationalist identity. The town and its symbolism represent the history of national conflict with the Spanish state. It is also the focal point of local disagreements; within Basque nationalism itself and between regional urban centers. The town's significance in the Spanish Civil War, representation in Picasso's painting Guernica, and commemoration in the Americas by Basque emigrants has made it a globally significant place. The contest of meanings related to Gernika/Guernica underscores the significance of naming, monuments, ritual, resistance, oppression, and conflict in the creation and maintenance of national identities. In its examination of the politics of a Basque place, the joining of the forces of geography and history proves to be useful in the analysis of meaning in place- and time-specific political processes. From this perspective, the recent development from conflict toward harmony in Basque politics is reviewed.
Guggenheim in the Land of the Basques: Repercussions and Paradoxes
Espacio Tiempo y Forma. Serie VII, Historia del Arte
Se ha hablado en muchas ocasiones de la transformación de Bilbao y de la influencia del Museo Guggenheim en dicho cambio. Pero en contadas ocasiones se ha analizado el efecto –o los efectos paradójicos– que su aparición tuvo para el resto de los museos del País Vasco.Es lo que se pretende en este texto. La descripción y valoración del proceso, los logros obtenidos, las polémicas y críticas generadas, los debates políticos y parlamentarios y el efecto en el resto de los museos del País Vasco, son algunos de los temas planteados. Para ello se recurre a bibliografía especializada, documentación oficial y seguimiento periodístico de una aventura polémica, criticada e incluso denostada que, sin embargo, marca un antes y un después en el mundo de los museos y de la gestión patrimonial.