Today we inaugurate a second phase in the history of Fundación Proa, with a new building and a new cultural program. The concept of space we present, developed together with architects Caruso-Torricella, is in keeping with the clear decision to continue in La Boca, and also with an absolute vocation for contemporaneity and experimentation: four exhibition rooms, a multimedia auditorium, a specialized library, a restaurant and a transparent façade that enables the communication of experiences from the inside towards the neighborhood.
The choice to present Marcel Duchamp’s works defines the profile of our exhibition program from now on and delimits its course of action, conveying a profound reflection on the definition of art, the future of the curator, and the fate of institutions. In the first decade of the 21st century, cultural institutions and art centers have grown at the same pace as cities, becoming spaces for gatherings, reflection and silence within them. Art is, quoting Borges, a ‘PROA’ (BOW) towards unknown territories which should be discovered even by the artists themselves. This sentence also encompasses multidisciplinary cultural projects.
When Fundación Proa was set up, we settled in La Boca. We appreciated the neighborhood’s uniqueness, where dreams and utopias from the 21st century historic avant-garde movements are perceived: murals, living in art and participatory art. From street performances, where the street itself is scenery and auditorium, La Boca and Caminito have become like a living picture, where all its inhabitants turn into actors or artists who paint their houses with the freedom of color. The neighborhood belongs to its inhabitants; artists recognize its symbolic value and, through the years, many of them have decided to settle down there.
The new building is inaugurated with Duchamp’s exhibition and the auditorium with the International Colloquium about the artist; the Library features works promoting young talents and the terrace offers a new view of the city.
This undertaking is possible thanks to the sound commitment of our permanent sponsors, Tenaris, Ternium and Techint, whose contributions reflect their support for the future cultural development of our country, and quoting Paolo Rocca, ‘it maintains the essence of the old building projecting it from La Boca towards the future and the world’.
Our most sincere thanks to our sponsors, artists, the entire foundation’s team, everybody who has helped throughout the years and, most of all, to visitors.