Under the concept and principles of permaculture, for the Primera exhibition, La Única gallery brings together a group of artists that, in addition to creating, are dedicated to activities such as collecting, cultural management, education, and public presence. From each person’s perspective, guest artists create works reflecting a unique landscape, and which demonstrate a search for sustainability in the creative world of San Salvador.

Dalia Chévez, artist and workshop worker, presents a complexly simple and educational piece titled Etnogalerías.

Prior to the exhibition, the artist explored several commercial galleries that sell work, mainly pictorial. Chévez dialogued with the gallery owners and obtained from each of them artwork on loan.  Etnogaleríasis at a glance a set of works by various authors from various galleries. However, beyond a compilation of works, beyond a show of contemplative purpose, the artist offers us a teaching-learning platform where, through a podcast, she provides information about the project’s process and about the galleries visited by different audiences, widening the lens of the Salvadoran artistic multiverse that exists.

Patricio Majano, artist and promoter, also fulfills the function of spectator at cultural-artistic events. The artist starts from his experiences as an audience member using his interest in the connections that are generated through the words and stories that are shared. Columna de Majanoconsists of a column depicting carvings and drawings of scenes derived from gossip shared by actors within the artistic scene. Majano refers to the gossip as a tool of power and also as an extension of the oral tradition. He argues that it is a historical resource since, in El Salvador, there is very little text about the country’s art history.

The Primera exhibition also includes works by Orlando Villatoro, Mauricio Kabistan, Cracky Rodríguez, Ronald Moran and Elena Salamanca.

-Alejandra Paz

Published by Y.ES Contemporary, July 2019 issue.

Images: Dalia Chévez,  « Etnogalerías », 2019;  Patricio Majano, « Columna de Majano », 2019;  Crack Rodríguez, « Armonía del Péndulo », 2019. All images by Alejandra Paz. Courtesy La Unica and the artist.