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Exhibition title: Occupation: Basketmaker

Curator: Melina Berkenwald and Gachi Rosatti

URRA Art Residence, Tigre. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sept-Nov 2018

 

This project is based on research about wicker and its workers in the Tigre Delta carried out during the spring of 2018 at the URRA Art Residency.

"The island" as it is commonly called is actually a group of islands called the Delta of the Paraná River, considered one of the largest in the world. Its particular microclimate favors the proliferation of different species of plants and animals, as well as a rich cultural identity. The first wicker was planted in 1850 and quickly became an important agricultural activity in the area. Due to political and economic decisions during the 1990s, the activity declined sharply and many families had to abandon the islands.

 

For two months I visited the remaining plantations with the families that work them, learned to weave with local artisans, and built an installation inspired by two architectural elements: a double T beam and a column. The investigation seeks to bring attention to the wickerwork trade, its history in the Delta, the work processes, and its precarious working conditions.

"Occupation: Basketmaker" is what it says in the personal ID of my mother's great-uncle, who was born in La Coruña in 1882 and raised in the Delta in the basketry trade.