Untold Stories

by José Manuel Arnaud Bello, Santiago Borja, Jonathan Hernandez

A residence and exhibition-project, in Saint-Cirq Lapopie and Cajarc (in the region of the Quercy, near Toulouse).

Residency program starts : April 15th. 2011
Meeting with the press and the artists: May 13th.
Opening of the exhibition is : July 3rd. till end of September
Conference of Santiago Borja at the Salon de lecture of the musée du quai Branly, Paris: July 8th. 19h00

José Arnaud Bello (born in 1976, lives in London and Mexico) www.galeriaomr.com Santiago Borja (born in 1970, lives in Mexico) www.maribelnadal.com Jonathan Hernández (born in 1972, lives in Mexico) www.kurimanzutto.com

José Manuel Arnaud Bello, Santiago Borja, Jonathan Hernández are not always living in their country of origin but are often on the move where the work call them, in perpetual quest for new modalities of exchanges. Although each have a strong relationship with their homeland, they also keep a certain distance due to cultural and economical contrasts their are confronted with in their daily life. The singularity of their work lies in their capacity to put in perspective acute and critical approaches on cultural as much as environmental issues. Therefore, in this project, there will be no folklore, no crystal brain or street fighters, but more projects concerned by a certain desire to transmit to their contemporaries global concerns than nationalistic problematics.

The three of them are ‘architects in real and in their soul’ Santiago Borja and José Arnaud Bello, both architects propose in their works a certain critical poetry in urban or rural contexts. In another way, Jonathan Hernández is setting up conceptual fictions. Each of these three artists in their own way do question the circulation of ideas and multiple cultures of their own country as much as the one’s they are working in by establishing certain links between Europe and Central America.

As a coincidence, after having spent a certain amount of time in Mexico, André Breton settled down in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, a tiny village where the residency is actually taking place. The key-figure of surrealist movement has activated peculiar relationships with Mexican country and pretended to liberate the unconscious in art by facing obstacles of rationalism, moral and good taste of the moment, proposing that all what is magical is beautiful, as estimated Breton. A statement which has brought many level of misunderstanding in History of Art and in the interpretations notions of a certain fascination for a certain ’exoticism’ that can be questioned. Far from cultivating this romantic and nostalgic aspect, the artist Jonathan Hernandez is eventually thinking of working from either side of the traces left by André Breton. José Arnaud Bello, will work in situ with natural elements of nature, it’s fascinating caves omniopresent in that reagions and in this preserved village. Santiago Borja, has the intention to work on architectural elements in the same spirit as his actual project on the Villa Savoye of Le Corbusier, in Poissy which he is also participating in the same period of time (inauguration June 11th.).

The project “Untold Stories” has been initiated by the desire to involve artists to come up with a certain critical as much as constructive approach from artists living in Mexico, as a way of echoing to this historical figure who gave shape to our common History of art. During their five weeks residencies they will therefore produce site–specific and unedited projects for the Art Center of Cajarc, located at 50km from Toulouse.

This project is curated this year by Cécile Bourne-Farrell and Martine Michard inscribes itself in the continuity of cultural exchanges already programmed and produced by Maisons Daura since 2005 directed by Martine Michard.

A publication is also previsted to be released will try to trace the different productions-phases and it’s final exhibition at the Centre d’Art Georges Pompidou of Cajarc.

Partners of the project: Ministère de la Culture, Region Midi-Pyrénées, Conseil Général du Lot, Salon de lecture musée du quai Branly, Paris, Chooseone.org, Mouvement.net, l’association PEPS-Cajarc.

Maison des arts Georges Pompidou BP 24 46160 Cajarc t: + 00 33 (0)5 65 40 78 19