Art Attacks

artThe other week I visited Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires also known as the MALBA. My favorite piece of work was Antonio Berni's Manifestacion. It is a piece that I feel personifies Buenos Aires in many ways. First of all, it depicts many people on the street. Buenos Aires is known for protesting on the street. The most famous example of people protesting is the mother's of Plaza de Mayo who protest once a week here in Buenos Aires. In 2001, people took to the streets for months protesting the banking laws passed by the government. After Del Potro won the U.S Open this year, there was yet another protest here in Buenos Aires, albeit a happy one.

The people in the photograph are also very diverse just like the population of Buenos Aires. In the photograph one can see men, women, children, white, black, and mixed peoples. Buenos Aires, according to reference.com, has a racial make up of 88.9% White, 7% Mestizo, 2.1% Asian and 2% Black. This may seem lopsidedly white, but one must take into account that the white population can be broken down into different subsets. For example, there is a big difference in Buenos Aires between European immigrants and American immigrants to the country, both groups would consider themselves White but different shades if you will. Therefore, this photo reflects accurately the eclecticism of race in Buenos Aires.

The buildings in the background clearly depict the array of different architecture in Buenos Aires. The picture conveys the sense that there is both grand and small beautiful buildings in Buenos Aires. There are never ending skyscrapers and modest two room houses both equally unique. Buenos Aires's architecture borrows from everywhere and everyone. There are colonial seventeenth century British copy cats and sixteenth century French Henry II look a likes. Everywhere you look in Buenos Aires there is a different style of architecture happening.

The wall in the picture is also very important. There are many class divides both literally and figuratively in Buenos Aires. There are many gated communities to prevent the poor from getting into the rich neighborhoods. There is an ever expanding poverty gap in Buenos Aires with the middle class shrinking everyday. The amount of poor people in Buenos Aires has increased in the past five years and shows no signs of slowing down. The wall in the picture could be a literal boundary separating the unseen community behind the wall, or a figurative boundary about the people feeling stuck. Either way, the wall is an important piece of the picture.

All of these traits combined are the reasons I feel that this photograph is a very fitting tribute to Buenos Aires.