Disfruto bastante de la oferta cultural de Madrid; vamos, que devoro el rango de exposiciones cada temporada, sean de qué sean, estén donde estén, y a menudo me encuentro sin cosas que ver al final de unas semanas. Sin embargo, lo que pasa es que después de casi ocho años aquí, voy viendo que, lo que para un observador casual puede parecer un universo de temas de exposiciones si no ilimitado pues al menos bastante enorme, parece tener una estructura implícita o limite.
Por ejemplo, este finde vi una exposición de danza en La Fundación Juan March (con diferencia la mejor institución cultural de Madrid, y quizá de toda España, diría yo), donde terminaban con 'La Siesta de Un Fauno', que se estrenó en 1912 por los Ballets Rusos. "Nada de extraño", se podría decir, pero es que los Ballets Rusos salen bastante en la escena cultural institucional madrileña, a pesar de ser, pues, rusos. Y es que salen, porque tienen una conexión española, cuando hay literalmente un sinfín de cosas que no salen, por no tenerlo.
Para explicar, hace unos años, El Pabellón de Estudiantes (a propósito, un espacio mal publicitado y mal aprovechado, a mi ver, dado lo bueno que podría ser) montó una exposición que se llamaba 'La Danza en La Edad de Plata' que incluía, entre muchas otras cosas, dibujos que Picasso hizo para los Ballets Rusos. Y además, hace pocos meses, La Caixa montó una exposición sobre Olga Picasso, la mujer rusa de Pablo Picasso, los quienes se conocían trabajando, sí, lo adivinaste, para los Ballets Rusos. Y así, ser puede ver que, a través de tres exposiciones en tres instituciones culturales madrileñas sobre un periodo de meses y años, hay un hilo que une su oferta.
Vale, sé que es un ejemplo pequeño, y podria dar otros, pero lo que quiero subrayar es que, Madrid es grande, muy, muy grande, pero parece que, con haber pasado sucifiente tiempo aquí y prestado atención, vas viendo que hay, si no repeticiones en su oferta cultural, entonces sí temas entrelazados que lo forman y definen.
Por ejemplo, recuerdo el año pasado, viendo la exposición de Dorothea Tanning en el Reina Sofia, lo raro que era ver una exposición sobre una pintura estadounidense en Madrid, y que probablemente no habría pasado si no fuera por la afinidad de Tanning con los surrealistas. Y además recuerdo pensando este mes, viendo la exposición de Jörg Immendorff también en el Reina Sofía, lo extraño que fue ver una muestra de un pintor alemán. Es como si, como poco a poco voy viendo los "límites" o "temas entrelazados implícitos" de lo que ponen en Madrid, me llamara la atención cuando algo no parece encajar, o si encaja de una forma novedosa, como con Tanning. Me recuerda un poco a cuando tienes un videojuego nuevo y vas probando todo lo que puedas, hasta que veas los limitaciones del sistema programado.
No quiero decir por un segundo que a los directores de las instituciones culturales madrileñas les falte imaginación, o que estén excluyendo cosas que no tengan que ver con España por fines propagandistas. Supongo que será que quieren publicitar lo español y lo que tenga una conexión con España porque, vamos, estamos aquí, y hay que sacar pecho. No tiene mucho sentido que una institución cultural española se dedique mucho tiempo a exponer cosas estadounidenses o alemanes, pues, por eso están los museos y las galerías de arte de esos países.
Y sin embargo, vas viendo que, con lo muy muy grande que es Madrid, y lo muy muy grande que es el mundo de arte, pintura, arquitectura, baile etc. aquí solo se está ofreciendo un trozo de ello. Incluso, quizá los directores de estas grandes instituciones madrileñas se unan de vez en cuando para organizar lo que van a exponer, y haya un especie de "groupthink" o tradiciones sobre lo que es válido exponer. No sé, estoy especulando. Ni siquiera quiero criticar, que como digo, disfruto muchísimo de lo que se ofrece en Madrid. Solo es que, después de haber pasado tanto tiempo aquí, sí que estoy percibiendo "limitaciones" o "temas entrelazados" entre lo que se expone en Madrid, y me pregunto cuáles serían las lógicas detrás de estas decisiones, conscientes y intencionales o no.
--
I pretty well enjoy Madrid's cultural offer; well, really, I devour the range of exhibitions each season, whatever they're about, wherever they are, and often I find myself without things to see at the end of a few weeks. However, the thing is that after almost eight years here, I'm starting to see that, what for a casual observer might seem like a universe of exhibitions, if not unlimited then at last pretty enormous, seems to have an implicit structure or limit.
For example, this weekend I saw a dance exhibition at La Fundación Juan March (by a long way, the best cultural institution in Madrid, and maybe all of Spain, I'd say) where they finished with 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun', which premiered in 1912 by the Ballets Russes. "Nothing strange about that," you might say, except that the Ballets Russes appear a fair amount in Madrid's institutional cultural scene, in spite of the fact that they're well, Russian. And the thing is that they appear, because they have a Spanish connection, with there's literally an endless amount of things that don't appear, because they don't have that.
To explain, a few years ago, The Student Pavillion (by the way, a very poorly advertised and poorly utilised space, in my view, given how good it might be) put on an exhibition called "Dance in The Age of Silver", which included, amongst many other things, drawings by Picasso for the Ballets Ruses. And what's more, a few months ago, La Caixa put on an exhibition about Olga Picasso, Picasso's Russian wife, the two of whom met working, yes, you guessed it, for the Ballets Ruses. And thus, you can see how, across three exhibitions in three Madrid cultural institutions over a period of months and years, there's a thread uniting their offer.
Okay, I know that it's a small example, and I could give others, but what I want to highlight is that, Madrid is big, really, really big, but it seems that, after having spent enough time here and paid attention, you can see that there are, if not repetitions to the cultural offer, then related subjects that form and define it.
For example, I remember last year, seeing the exhibition about Dorothea Tanning in the Reina Sofia, how strange it was to see an exhibition about American painting in Madrid, and how it probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Tanning's affinity with the surrealists. And I also remember thinking this month, seeing the exhibition about Jörg Immendorff also in the Reina Sofia, how strange it was to see a show about a German painter. It's as if, how little-by-little I'm seeing the "limits" or "implicit related themes" of what they put on in Madrid, my attention is called to what doesn't seem to fit, or fits in a novel way, like with Tanning. I'm reminded a little of when you've got a new videogame, and you try everything you can, until you find the limitations of the programmed system.
I don't mean to say for a second that the directors of Madrid's cultural institutions lack imagination, or that they're excluding things that don't have to do with Spain for propaganda reasons. I suppose that they want to publicise what's Spanish and has a connection with Spain because, well, we're here, and they need to thump their chest a bit. It doesn't make much sense for a Spanish cultural institution to dedicate time to exhibit American or Germans because, after all, that's what the museums and art galleries in those countries are for.
And yet, you can see how, with however big Madrid is, and however big are the worlds of art, painting, architecture and dance etc. here they're only offering a chunk of it. Perhaps it's even the case that the directors of these great Madrid cultural institutions get together every now and then to organise what they'll put on, and there's a kind of "groupthink" or traditions about what's valid to exhibit. I don't know, I'm speculating. I don't even mean to criticise, as like I say, I enjoy a lot what they offer in Madrid. It's just that, after having spent so much time here, I'm starting to perceive "limits" or "related themes" in what's exhibited in Madrid, and I wonder what's the logic behind these decisions, conscious and intentional or otherwise.
--
I pretty well enjoy Madrid's cultural offer; well, really, I devour the range of exhibitions each season, whatever they're about, wherever they are, and often I find myself without things to see at the end of a few weeks. However, the thing is that after almost eight years here, I'm starting to see that, what for a casual observer might seem like a universe of exhibitions, if not unlimited then at last pretty enormous, seems to have an implicit structure or limit.
For example, this weekend I saw a dance exhibition at La Fundación Juan March (by a long way, the best cultural institution in Madrid, and maybe all of Spain, I'd say) where they finished with 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun', which premiered in 1912 by the Ballets Russes. "Nothing strange about that," you might say, except that the Ballets Russes appear a fair amount in Madrid's institutional cultural scene, in spite of the fact that they're well, Russian. And the thing is that they appear, because they have a Spanish connection, with there's literally an endless amount of things that don't appear, because they don't have that.
To explain, a few years ago, The Student Pavillion (by the way, a very poorly advertised and poorly utilised space, in my view, given how good it might be) put on an exhibition called "Dance in The Age of Silver", which included, amongst many other things, drawings by Picasso for the Ballets Ruses. And what's more, a few months ago, La Caixa put on an exhibition about Olga Picasso, Picasso's Russian wife, the two of whom met working, yes, you guessed it, for the Ballets Ruses. And thus, you can see how, across three exhibitions in three Madrid cultural institutions over a period of months and years, there's a thread uniting their offer.
Okay, I know that it's a small example, and I could give others, but what I want to highlight is that, Madrid is big, really, really big, but it seems that, after having spent enough time here and paid attention, you can see that there are, if not repetitions to the cultural offer, then related subjects that form and define it.
For example, I remember last year, seeing the exhibition about Dorothea Tanning in the Reina Sofia, how strange it was to see an exhibition about American painting in Madrid, and how it probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Tanning's affinity with the surrealists. And I also remember thinking this month, seeing the exhibition about Jörg Immendorff also in the Reina Sofia, how strange it was to see a show about a German painter. It's as if, how little-by-little I'm seeing the "limits" or "implicit related themes" of what they put on in Madrid, my attention is called to what doesn't seem to fit, or fits in a novel way, like with Tanning. I'm reminded a little of when you've got a new videogame, and you try everything you can, until you find the limitations of the programmed system.
I don't mean to say for a second that the directors of Madrid's cultural institutions lack imagination, or that they're excluding things that don't have to do with Spain for propaganda reasons. I suppose that they want to publicise what's Spanish and has a connection with Spain because, well, we're here, and they need to thump their chest a bit. It doesn't make much sense for a Spanish cultural institution to dedicate time to exhibit American or Germans because, after all, that's what the museums and art galleries in those countries are for.
And yet, you can see how, with however big Madrid is, and however big are the worlds of art, painting, architecture and dance etc. here they're only offering a chunk of it. Perhaps it's even the case that the directors of these great Madrid cultural institutions get together every now and then to organise what they'll put on, and there's a kind of "groupthink" or traditions about what's valid to exhibit. I don't know, I'm speculating. I don't even mean to criticise, as like I say, I enjoy a lot what they offer in Madrid. It's just that, after having spent so much time here, I'm starting to perceive "limits" or "related themes" in what's exhibited in Madrid, and I wonder what's the logic behind these decisions, conscious and intentional or otherwise.
