As part of El Museo del Barrio’s year-long initiative ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21, the museum announces the debut of Somxs Podemx, a newly commissioned video by Puerto Rican performance duo Poncilí Creación, on Thursday, August 27 at 6pm. Known for their fantastical and improvisational approach to puppetry, the collective – composed of identical twin brothers Pablo and Efrain Del Hierro – describe their practice as “speculative alchemy.” For Somxs Podemx, the group takes to the streets for a durational progression across the neighborhoods of San Juan, Poncilí Creación’s hometown and where they have been in quarantine during the global pandemic.
Commenting on this particular context, Poncilí Creación “denounces the Puerto Rican government’s decades of blatant corruption as well as its poor behavior in the face of Covid 19 and recent natural disasters,” explaining that through their practice, “we champion creative protests as a powerful tool to aid in the fight against injustice.”
Moving through colorful streets, gentrified neighborhoods, tax havens, and sites of resistance along San Juan’s Avenida Ponce de León, Somxs Podemxexplores the impact that the creative action of a single individual can have against the reppressive reality it inhabits.
About PONCILÍ CREACIÓN ~ Poncilí Creación is a performance duo based in Puerto Rico that focuses on foam rubber sculptures to create spectacles. These sculptures – created to be manipulated by the human body or parts of it, some as small as a coin others as large as cars – are tools for creating whimsical power that stains reality. Established in 2013, Poncilí Creación’s art practice has been an exploration of how they can build communities and harvest resilience among the people they impact using their objects as a catalyst to shape collective reality. Their massive spectacle tours have taken them to Canada, U.S., Mexico, Dominican Republic, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Taiwan, and China.
About Estamos Bien ~ La Trienal 20/21 ~ ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21 is El Museo del Barrio’s first national large-scale survey of Latinx contemporary art featuring more than 40 artists from across the United States and Puerto Rico. Curated by El Museo del Barrio’s Chief Curator Rodrigo Moura and Curator Susanna V. Temkin, with New York-based artist Elia Alba as Guest Curator, the yearlong initiative launches with online projects (July 23 – October 15, 2020) and culminates with an onsite exhibition (March 13 – August 22, 2021). The full list of artists will be announced in October 2020.
Online artist projects and schedules, include Lizania Cruz (Obituary of the American Dream, July 23, 2020) | Poncilí Creación (Somxs Podemx, August 2020) | Collective Magpie (Who Designs Your Race?, September 2020) | Xime Izquierdo Ugaz (Se Que Fue Así Porque Estuve Allí, September 2020) | Michael Menchaca (The Wall, October 2020). Related public programs featuring curators, artists, invited scholars and other guests will take place throughout the year. For more information, click here.
ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21 is made possible by the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation. Leadership support is provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Generous funding is provided by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, Tony Bechara, and La Trienal Council.
The Museum is temporarily closed due to COVID-19. To connect with El Museo del Barrio via Social Media, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information, please visit www.elmuseo.org.
Somxs Podemx, Video performance by artists Poncilí Creación is a Virtual Event to be held on Thursday, August 27 from 6-7pm. Free. RSVP Here.