PROJECT RATIONALE

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TRANS VERSA: CONVERSING ACROSS THE SOUTH stems from a broad notion of traffic and the connotations of flow and interchange or conjunction of dynamism and stasis and potential for contact and mis-communication that arises. The notion of transfer – of people, creative practice, ideas and dialogue – is an important curatorial aim of TRANS VERSA and informs a number of artists’ projects. The thirteen artists from Australia and New Zealand researched aspects of Santiago and Chile in relation to this context and the concerns of their practices, developing projects to be undertaken in Santiago. Their works consider the changing flows (one way and reciprocal) between and within our countries. Some challenge themselves to locate and present culturally specific concepts of identity, self hood and vocation and others are concerned with our treatment of the natural world or drivers causing social change. Works will be made in collaboration with artists and the public in Santiago and presented at three significant cultural sites in this city.

The project approaches the three sites in Santiago as a point of stasis in the flows of the travel of people and ideas, each with a different setting and audience.

Site 1 - The Museum of Contemporary Art is the leading cultural institution in the presentation of Chilean and international contemporary art. The Museum has just completed extensive renovations and maintains a reputation for promoting debate and discourse in relation to the specific artistic manifestations in Chile and its relation in the world.

Site 2 - Galería Metropolitana is a unique art space in Santiago because of its location, construction, and theoretical programming. Located in the working-class neighbourhood of Pedro Aguirre Cerda on the outskirts of the city, the gallery defines itself as part of its larger metropolitan community as well as its local neighbourhood. Through the gradual process of connecting the neighbourhood's residents with diverse artistic events, the Galería Metropolitana is successfully establishing a cultural foothold in a community that would otherwise be or peripheral to the kinds of cultural dialogue the directors have attempted to raise.

Site 3 – Centro Cultural Matucana 100 and the public realm
Located amongst a vast garden setting, Matucana 100 intends to develop into a focal point for cultural development within the local, regional, national and international ambits. With this goal in mind, its mission is to continually examine what truly constitutes culture, not only as the production of a national character based in the artistic dimension but as the complete gamut of human expression. The centre strives to give a voice to those who remain in silence. Its strength lies in the multi-disciplinary programme and audience as well as the support they provide for public projects through publications and documentation.