We are very happy to present Ni arte, ni artesanía, ni arte_lin (Neither art, nor handcraft, nor “cute-art”), the first exhibition of Fernanda Laguna (Argentina, 1972) in Barcelona.

“According to Fernanda Laguna, art is not limited to what we see, but also includes both what we imagine and that which does not yet exist. At its core, it is the possibility that something may never truly become. According to this idea, a work is not limited to what we perceive; its true nature depends on our imagination, on what remains hidden and has not yet been revealed. It is like an invisible energy that pushes us towards the unknown, towards something that goes beyond what we call the exhibition.

From this point of view, works are not mere objects, but ways of existing and linking with the world. They are like relational organisms that can be disassembled, reconstructed and reinterpreted. And even if some of them seem to be incomplete, they continue to tell stories, as they retain the marks of time and the trace of the spaces they have passed through before. That is why the works are not untouchable relics created by those figures we call artists, but are part of the vital cycles of use, circulation and aging. Representation of beings that also feel, desire and even, sometimes, have their own name.

Fernanda Laguna’s group of hybrid works and pieces gathers these and other reflections on the interrelation between art and craft. The exhibition presents a collection of paintings and small-format objects that defy the boundaries and artistic categories to which we have become used to. Why do art and craft have to be separated? And, more to the point, why can’t craft occupy the same place as painting or drawing?

To answer some of these questions, Laguna came up collectively with other artists the concept of arte_lin (“cute_art”), a term that seeks to blur the hierarchies between what we call “art” and what we consider “craft”. In his work, these two universes are not opposed, but rather they blend and influence each other. Many of the works here are paintings that could be utensils or objects without a defined practical function. In this sense, reuse is one of the central themes of the exhibition, a cycle of creation and creative destruction that shows how art is in constant transformation.

In this process, the artist establishes a loving dialogue with the remains and fragments of objects that take on a second life, even after having been used and discarded. Using different materials such as paints, organic elements and household objects, Laguna transforms what many would consider waste into works that demonstrate that there is no right or wrong way to make art.

The vibrant colors, the simple forms and the instant beauty of the works are just the surface of the stories that take place between what is real and what is imaginary. Stories of a world where art and craft, the day-to-day and the discarded merge to give life to something new.

Thus, Laguna invites us to eliminate the boundaries between the “elevated” and the “day-to-day”, between what we expect and what could be. Because, ultimately, the value of art lies not so much in how we define it, but in its ability to communicate with those who wish to look at it and be moved by its ability to be cute as well.”

—Mª Laura Ríos

Fernanda Laguna (Argentina, 1972) is a prominent figure in the Argentinian art scene, recognized for integrating in her practice visual arts, literature, cultural management and a wide variety of projects aimed to bring art closer to groups that are at risk of social exclusion.

She has founded and directed side projects that are an extension of her artistic and literary practice. In 2000, during the most severe economic crisis in Argentina’s history, Laguna co-founded the artist-run space and publishing house Belleza y Felicidad, which later became an epicenter of emerging art and literature in Buenos Aires. She later moved the gallery to a marginalized area, transforming it into an educational and experimental project focused on art for at-risk children and youth. She also co-founded Eloísa Cartonera, a publishing house and worker cooperative that unites well-known writers with “cartoneros” —term used in Argentina to refer to a workers that recolect cardboard and other paper residues to recycle them later. Between 2011 and 2012, she directed TuRito, a space without doors open 24 hours a day for performances, readings and various actions. Laguna has been very active not only as a visual artist and writer, but also as a curator, organizer and performer, characterized by her playful style.

The works of Laguna are part of permanent collections in institutions such as the MOMA (New York, US), the Guggenheim Museum (New York, US), the MOCA (Los Angeles, US), the MNCARS (Madrid, ES), the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection (Caracas, VE and New York, US), the PAMM (Miami, US), the MALBA (Buenos Aires, AR) and the Modern Museum of Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, AR).

Exhibition curated by Mª Laura Ríos in collaboration with Mireia Serrano.