The city of the margins: beyond community-based art. A project by Ángela Ramírez

Abstract

This essay analyzes the history of community-based art in terms of its international appearance in the art scene at the beginning of the nineties and proposes a contrast with the Chilean and Latin American scene. It takes as an example the project of Chilean artist Angela Ramirez call “The space of desire” and tries to underline the limitations and possible amplifications of a concept that crosses political history, urban history, architecture and art practice. The need to think the initial goodness of community-based art is urgent because of the increase of the demand for more and better participation from citizens and the community. Both notions come from the political history and they must be criticized by the art scene by recognizing the potential of interdisciplinary and self-critic artistic projects. The self-criticism that can be generated by artistic process is born not as a defense of autonomy, but in favor of a critical view of the community itself.