ON VIEW: Curatorial Studies: Ulises Carrión: Post/Master, a Selection from the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA)

Ulises Carrión: Post/Master, curated by María Paula Varela, Ph.D. Candidate in Art History, will be Ulises Carrión’s first public exhibition in the United States. Carrión was a crucial figure in Mail Art, a prominent international movement of the 1970s and 1980s related to Conceptual Art, and in which artists exhibited material they had mailed to one another. On loan from the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), the exhibition showcases seven of the ten projects that comprise Carrión’s The Big Monster archive, including “Anonymous Quotations”, “A Poem”, “Cancellation Stamps”, “Definitions of Art”, “E.A.M.I.S.”, “Feedback”, and “Rob & Marta”. These projects include hundreds of postcards, photographs, letters, and mixed media replies to Carrión’s collective postal works.

Carrión’s main contribution to Mail Art proceeded from his realization that artistic correspondence could subvert bureaucratic institutions, which he viewed as anonymous and oppressive. These reflections constitute the conceptual core of the works in this exhibition. With the seven projects displayed in the gallery, Carrión marked a decisive shift away from art—in a narrow sense—to culture in general. He thus transformed himself from artist to postmaster, radically redefining the boundaries of his cultural interventions.

The exhibition also provides an opportunity to consider the contemporary relevance of Carrión’s work at a moment when Mail Art has experienced a revival during the COVID-19 pandemic and when the United States Postal Service faces increased attention in advance of November’s election. Gallery visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the materiality of Carrión’s works, discovering a plurality of voices in his diverse projects.

This exhibition is third in the series “On View: Curatorial Studies,” which features art exhibitions curated by SA+AH. UG is grateful to ISLAA for their generous collaboration with the exhibition.

Visiting Scholar Lecture

Correspondences/ On Mail Art and the Work of Ray Johnson
Dr. Johanna Gosse, Speaker
María Paula Varela, Moderator
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 5 PM

In Conversation 

Aimé Iglesias Lukin on the exhibition "Ulises Carrión: The Big Monster"
María Paula Varela, Moderator
LIVESTREAM via COTA YouTube
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 6:15 PM

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