Artpace Unveils Alejandro Cesarco's First Solo Museum Exhibition

01.14.10

SAN ANTONIO, Texas- Artpace San Antonio presents Alejandro Cesarco's self-titled Alejandro Cesarco, the New York-based, Uruguayan artist's first solo museum exhibition, on view through May 2, 2010, in the Hudson (Show)Room. Curated by Artpace Executive Director Matthew Drutt, the exhibition debuts three different components of an ongoing project entitled Index (2000-8) and includes an Artpace-commissioned video, The Two Stories.

Index A-Z (2000) consists of twelve individually framed c-prints that are organized as large index pages. Many of the entries are a who's who of modern and contemporary artists and philosophers interspersed with an occasional theoretical term. Cesarco notes that "the indices map the development of (his) interests, readings, and preoccupations and have thus become a form of self-portraiture that unfolds over time." He concedes that this early ambitious project resulted in a "text that is a half-way biographical and half-way theory text; it is extremely personal, at times even hermetic, yet full of clichés."

Continuing in 2003, Index (a Novel) is comprised of four large double-page spreads that reference a different kind of unwritten book: this time a love story. The result is a collection of words that underscore the humorous and difficult moments of our most intimate relationships. Index (a Reading) from 2008 explores what an index is made up of and how it works in relation to the ideas of reading, writing, history, memory, and forgetting.

Finally, Cesarco re-imagines conventional story development in The Two Stories. In the video, the narrator is presumed to be retelling a story to a small audience in a family home, however, instead of hearing the story, a narrative concerning moments of distraction, nervousness, and boredom emerges. The Two Stories, like the three Index works, encourages viewers to become more actively engaged in understanding how one can continue to derive new meanings from text-based structures-to look beyond the obvious and find the hidden relationships that make up one's daily existence and identity.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Alejandro Cesarco was born in 1975 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He has exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States, Latin America and Europe. His most recent solo exhibitions include Now & Then, Charles H Scott Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (2009), Once Within A Room, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA (2008), Retrospective, in collaboration with John Baldessari, Murray Guy, New York (2007); Some Recent Examples, Murray Guy, New York (2006); and Margeurite Duras 'India Song, Art in General, New York (2006). Cesarco has curated exhibitions in the U.S., Uruguay, Argentina and most recently a project for the 6th Mercosur Biennial (2007), Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is director of Art Resources Transfer where he initiated and edits Between Artists, an ongoing series of conversation based books. He lives and works in New York.

EXHIBITION DETAILS AND RELATED EVENTS
Exhibition Dates
Exhibition Dates: January 14 - May 2, 2010

Chat & Chew: Alejandro Cesarco
February 24, 2010
Noon-1pm

Chat & chew! Join Artpace's curatorial staff for a tour of new works by Hudson (Show)Room artist Alejandro Cesarco. Lunch from Sip ($6.50) and a group chat will follow. Call Artpace by February 23 for menu and reservations.

Private Tours
Tours in both Spanish and English are available by appointment. To schedule a group tour, contact Matt Johns at mjohns@artpace.org or call 210 212 4900 x314.

ABOUT ARTPACE
Artpace San Antonio serves as a laboratory for the creation and advancement of international contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org