Adrián Villar Rojas : 9th Benesse Prize

04/06/2011

 During the opening of the 54th International Art Exhibition of the Biennale di Venezia, Adrian Villar Rojas’ work has been awarded with the 9th Benesse Prize
addressed to a “promising artist trying to break new artistic ground with an experimental and pioneering spirit”, by a jury composed by Hervé Chandès (General Director, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain),
Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev (Artistic Director, Documenta 13), Lu Jie (Director and Curator, Long March Project), and Fram Kitagawa (General Director, Setouchi International Art Festival).
In the words of the curator Rodrigo Alonso, “Adrián Villar Rojas is a talented young artist who has been receiving important critical attention during the last years.
With him representing Argentina at Venice Biennial we deepen our compromise with the emergent production, insufflate energy and vitality to the new venue, and bet on the future by creating a platform to establish an ongoing dialogue with the international art scene.”

“His work possesses a distinct personal tone. It combines formal experimentation with the construction of a narrative,
which allows him to reflect on art, its forms of appearance, and its meanings, as if it were the end of times and the end of the world. His last pieces derive from a story,
which speculates on the present from a hypothetical future, unfolding a political dimension of fantasy. Focused on that end of the world—ours—he suggests
that we rethink the place of art creation as a shelter for existence, passion and sensibility.”

“At the same time, Villar Rojas sees his work as an alternative to the traditional Latin American art production,
linked to simplicity and ready-made. For this reason, he embarks on ambitious and complex projects, which intend to hold a dialogue with the works of his international peers at the same level of potentiality and risk.”