The shyness of the crowns

Opening: March 16, 7–9pm, 484 Pulsations, performance of Marta Fernández Calvo at 7:30pm

Curator: Beatriz Alonso, laureate of the Award 2016 for Young Curators MARCO/Frac Lorraine/SFKM

Outbursts of solidarity, spontaneous mobilizations, and virtual micro-communities springing to life: now is the time to rethink the collective! Beatriz Alonso, the winner of the 2016 MARCO /49 Nord 6 Est / SFKM Award reminds us about the urgent need to reinvent oneself, to collectively imagine alternative forms of “living together.” Starting with “crown shyness”—a phenomenon observed in tree canopies—the young Spanish curator uses this group exhibition to suggest artistic pathways leading to new participatory scenarios. Let’s enrich each other by respecting others and their differences.

Trees come together in the canopy to protect the ecosystem. They maintain common harmony even while preserving their individuality thanks to “crown shyness.” Transposed into our modern societies, these interstices represent a space full of potential. This exhibition draws inspiration from this natural intelligence, as well as its limitations, to envision new modes of cohabitation. Beatriz Alonso invites us to explore alterity and reflect together on a society where everyone would have their place—without ever denying conflict, instability, or fragility. Participatory performances (Jiří Kovanda, Amalia Pica, Marta Fernández Calvo), exchange of popular lore (Lara Almarcegui & Jeremy Deller), invisible resistance (Cecilia Vicuña, Kader Attia), encounters with unusual communities (Alex Reynolds, Dora García), shared intimate moments (Rita Ponce de León, Helena Almeida)—are a boarding call to a journey of otherness. A poetic and eminently intuitive approach to nature.

By participating in workshops, meetings, experiments, and other "round-the-world tables," you too are part in the collective. Get involved with 49 Nord 6 Est and help create a new future.

Artists: Lara Almarcegui, Helena Almeida, Kader Attia, Jeremy Deller, Marta Fernández Calvo, Dora García, Jiří Kovanda, Amalia Pica, Rita Ponce de León, Alex Reynolds, Cecilia Vicuña

Coproduction: 49 Nord 6 Est, MARCO­ Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Vigo and SFKM ­Sogn og Fjordane Kunstmuseum

Tour: MARCO, Vigo (Spain): July 2017–January 2018, www.marcovigo.com
SFKM, Førde (Norway): February–June 2018, www.sfk.museum.no

Beatriz Alonso (Madrid, 1981) is an independent curator and researcher based in Madrid. Upcoming projects include a cycle of specific proposals at Casa Museo Lope de Vega, Museo Casa Natal de Cervantes, Centro de interpretación de Nuevo Baztán and Museo Picasso Colección Eugenio Arias (Madrid). She has curated projects of different nature at independent and institutional spaces: Salón, CA2M, Sala de Arte Joven, La Casa Encendida (Madrid), MACBA (Barcelona), La Regenta (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). She has been curator in residence at Lugar a dudas (Cali, Colombia), and researcher at Centre Pompidou and Musée du Louvre (Paris, France).