The CajaCanarias Cultural Center in Santa Cruz de Tenerife hosted the presentation of the program of activities for the 50th anniversary of the International Street Sculpture Exhibition on February 27th. The exhibition will run throughout the year. Speakers included Margarita Ramos, president of the CajaCanarias Foundation; Argeo Semán, dean of the Official College of Architects of Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro; Juan Albino Méndez, vice-rector of Culture and Social Participation at the University of La Laguna; Alejandro Krawietz, island director of Culture for the Tenerife Island Council; and José Manuel Bermúdez, mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, representing the organizing entities.
Later, after a detailed presentation of the activity schedule, architect and photographer Carlos A. Schwartz, who has been involved with both the 1973 International Exposition and the Sculpture in the Street Commission since its inception, explained the origins of the idea, conceived in the summer of 1973, which eventually took shape, and how the participation of international artists was achieved. He highlighted the important network of friendships that enabled top-tier artists to participate in the 1973 and 1994 exhibitions, and how this generosity allowed Santa Cruz to acquire the sculptures it possesses today. “Sculpture allows us to live with it, to touch it, to sit on it, something that doesn't happen with other visual arts,” Schwartz noted, recounting anecdotes about the architect Vicente Saavedra—who passed away in April 2021—the driving force behind the exhibition, whom he described as “our El Cid Campeador.”.
The president of the CajaCanarias Foundation, Margarita Ramos, pointed out that for the host entity “it is a great honor to host this presentation of the activities that will be carried out and which will serve to highlight the work that was done 50 years ago and of which we were facilitators so that this idea took shape and became a reality, a support that we have maintained continuously since then.”.
The mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, emphasized that each of the sculptures in the exhibition "is part of the lives of all the residents of Santa Cruz, of the very essence of the city's inhabitants, who have incorporated them into their lives through experiences and memories. It is time for us to pay tribute to the few people who, back in 1973, did so much for everyone.".
The island's Director of Culture, Alejandro Krawietz, expressed his satisfaction at sharing these reflections on such an important anniversary, "which allows us to highlight the significance of the 1973 exhibition for the island." Krawietz emphasized that Vicente Saavedra paved the way for demonstrating how art functions within the public sphere, an initiative that marked "the starting point before the transition, representing the reconnection of the historical avant-garde with the present.".
The dean of the College of Architects, Argeo Semán, also acknowledged the efforts of the visionaries who made this initiative possible, which would not be possible today, and highlighted the figure of Vicente Saavedra in particular. “For the College of Architects, this is a very special event, and we thank all the institutions for recognizing the importance of this unique initiative.”.
The Vice-Rector of the University of La Laguna, Juan Albino Méndez, stated that “this is a moment of celebration for this meeting of institutions for a living project, which represents a great example of the impact that culture can have on society” and considered that “a society attached to culture generates good citizens.”.
Calendar of activities for the 50th Anniversary
One of the members of the Street Sculpture Commission, Rafael Escobedo, announced the details of the activities that, for the moment, make up the program and that will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28, with the reopening ceremony of the Interpretation Center, located in the García Sanabria Park in the capital of Tenerife, and will continue, starting on March 3, with an exhibition installation. The weight of a head which will be hosted by Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (TEA) and in which, as Alejandro Krawietz announced, “one of the mythical sculptures, El penetrable, by Soto, is recovered, thus making a nod to the 1973 exhibition and these 50 years of celebration, a work that the Cabildo will cede to the city of Santa Cruz when the exhibition ends.”.
The program of activities will continue on April 27, the date of the opening of the exhibition entitled The other public sculpture of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the sculptural collections of the Museum of Fine Arts. The installation, to be displayed in the premises of the aforementioned museum space in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, will focus on the first public space in the city where sculptures were placed for its ornamentation and the works that were placed there: the Plaza de la Candelaria.
In May, two activities will be presented, both developed by the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council. One will consist of the development of a role-playing game application in which participants can interact with the sculptures located throughout the city, thanks to the International Exhibition, while learning about the works. The other will be an augmented reality initiative using digital technology, which provides interpretive information about the aforementioned works, transmitted orally and gesturally in different languages.
The TEA will once again be the setting for the proposals planned for the months of June and July, consisting of a round table in relation to the fiftieth anniversary of the first International Exhibition of Sculpture in the Street, as well as a commemorative film series, which will take place on Thursdays in July.
In the last quarter of the year, three forums will be held on October 5, November 16, and December 11, at the CajaCanarias Cultural Center in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Official College of Architects, and the City Hall, respectively. Coinciding with the second forum in this series, the College of Architects will host, from mid-November, the third and final exhibition included in the program of activities.
History of the International Exhibition of Sculpture in the Street
The two editions of the International Exhibition of Sculpture in the Street, held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1973 and 1994, introduced magnificent sculptures by renowned artists to the city, transforming its public spaces. The significant visual impact of these sculptures, located in the city's parks and avenues, has fostered greater public engagement with art, generated debate, and placed the capital of Tenerife at the forefront of contemporary sculpture, making Santa Cruz de Tenerife a fantastic open-air museum.
The first edition of the International Exhibition of Sculpture in the Street took place between the winter of 1973 and the spring of 1974 and was organized by the Culture Committee of the Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro branch of the Canary Islands College of Architects, with sponsorship from the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council and the Caja General de Ahorros de Canarias (now the CajaCanarias Foundation). All the selected works were at the forefront of modern art and were placed in the city's main public spaces. Currently, 39 sculptures from both exhibitions remain in the streets of the capital, forming part of its rich heritage, as well as one more, located in the municipality of Garachico.
(Note and image provided).
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