Anthological Exhibition Pablo Barriga

From December 10, 2016, to April 2, 2017, the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo El Bicentenario (CAC) presents the Anthological Exhibition Pablo Barriga, Mariano Aguilera National Award to an Artistic Trajectory 2015. Curated by Pamela Cevallos, this exhibition includes works created by Pablo Barriga from the 1970s to this day through a diverse production that includes painting, art-object, public space interventions, actions, photography, installation, and literature. The show also presents a vast documentary that attest to some works that no longer exist because of their ephemeral nature. Twenty years ago, Pablo Barriga transformed one of the abandoned spaces of the Antiguo Hospital Militar in Quito—a building that today houses the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo (CAC)—into his studio. On Saturday December 10, 2016, this artist from Quito born in 1949 returned to the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo located in the San Juan neighborhood, to inaugurate the anthological exhibition that presents a body of work created from the 1970s to this day. The exhibition is divided into three pavilions in the CAC: Pavilion 1, titled "To Paint," includes pictorial works by Barriga created during the 1980s. Pavilion 2, titled "To Act," makes reference to the action art works that Barriga created during the early 1990s Pavilion 3, titled "To Read," approaches Barriga's literary work from the 1970s to this day, through a survey of his work with art objects. Pablo Barriga is a precursor of contemporary art in Ecuador in the current of conceptual art. His work interacts with viewers through a playful and ironic approach that seeks to develop a critical conscience in the observers, in such a way that they are not limited to the mere contemplation of the work but also encourages them to question that which is being observed. In recent years, Barriga has approached themes like emotions and identity. He is a painter, a conceptual artist, a performer, a writer and professor at the Art Department of the Universidad Central de Ecuador (UCE) and in the Visual Arts Program of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE). He studied in the Department of Art of the UCE and completed his artistic education in England and the United States. In March of 2015, Barriga was granted the Mariano Aguilera Award to an Artistic Trajectory. The jury chose him for his contributions to the cultural field through a constant artistic production that has helped expand the artistic practices in the country. The Mariano Aguilera National Award to an Artistic Trajectory is one of the most important stages on which to recognize and evaluate the art in Ecuador. The recognition consists of an anthological exhibition for artists with an artistic trajectory that is at least fifteen years long as well as a monetary recognition. The central objective of the Mariano Aguilera National Award is to promote creativity, research, and the circulation of contemporary art in Ecuador through public call processes. More information is available at: http://www.centrodeartecontemporaneo.gob.ec/index.php/exposiciones/actuales/368-exposicion-antologica-pablo-barriga-premio-mariano-aguilera-a-la-trayectoria-artistica-2015