Cátedra Arte de Conducta 2009

Curator: This work is entitled Cátedra Arte de Conducta, or Behavior Art School. It’s from 2009, and it represents an intervention by Tania Bruguera. Editor: My initial reaction is that the grainy photograph gives a fly-on-the-wall documentary feel; very unassuming, in a way that contrasts with what I imagine is happening here. A bit performative. Curator: Yes, performative and pedagogical, and staged with intention. In Behavior Art School, Bruguera re-staged her seminal project from Havana in the 1980s. As you can see in this reproduction, groups gathered in circles; it was a space for critical discussion and artistic action. Editor: What interests me here are the semiotic implications within these circular forms. There are nested arrangements of individuals. Each one facing one another. Each person becoming both the observed and observer. Curator: Crucially, this re-staging occurred during the Performa 09 biennial in New York City, turning the event into an extension of the original school in Cuba. It becomes a socio-political commentary. The gathering’s own political underpinnings speak to cultural exchange and art's capability to affect social transformation. Editor: Interesting! These multiple vantage points remind me of Brechtian distanciation, encouraging viewers not just to passively witness but to analyze. A form that prompts analysis and engagement. The lack of adornment or visual cues enhances that didactic feeling, no? Curator: Exactly. This austere environment accentuates the weight of the words and concepts exchanged. Furthermore, Bruguera consistently interrogates institutional roles and frameworks, testing their capacity for genuinely radical or transformative endeavors. Editor: I notice the color schemes and spatial arrangements now; it isn't decorative. By minimizing distractions, it's as if the focus tightens on the dialogue and exchange, making it a more formal engagement, which is rather contrary to what is presented here. Curator: Precisely! We recognize that institutions like biennials carry specific expectations and often, limitations. In intervening at Performa, Bruguera pushed to expand not only the realm of art but also its capacity for public engagement, questioning how galleries or biennials are experienced and challenged, expanding the definition of what and how it's engaged. Editor: Examining Bruguera's practice, one sees a recurring examination of structure. It's about deconstructing both the content of our thought processes and the environments in which they unfold. Curator: This image truly opens many windows into Bruguera's exploration of art as a platform for social engagement, using structures that deconstruct ideas. Editor: Absolutely, it gives you insight on how method is applied to critical engagement. A thoughtful examination using visual deconstruction for conceptual engagement.