The political aspects of the emergence of the rojas in the artistic sphere of Buenos Aires, in the post-dictatorship era

Between 1989 and 1993 a group of artists centered around the exhibition space of the Ricardo Rojas Cultural Center emerged, producing an aesthetic differentiated from the artistic mainstream at that time.  While some of these artists possessed individualized and distinct aesthetic characteristics, from among the rest of the field a recognizable artistic group emerged.  Until now, the interpretations of this phenomenon have diverged in many respects, but the absence of political content appeared to be a constant in intepretations of the group’s artistic production.  That is, while the singular character of the artists that exhibited in that space was quickly recognized by critics, their singularity was defined devoid of any political sense. Contrary to this interpretation, we would propose a new reading of the works and artists of the Rojas that sheds light on the political dimension of this artistic phenomenon.  We thus propose considering, on the one hand, the aesthetic ruptures produced in relation to the criteria that governs the space of artistic production and circulation in Buenos Aires, and on the other hand, the trajectories of those actors that created a dissident artistic ethos in relation to the role of the legitimate artist in the culture of Buenos Aires following the military dictatorship.