Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art, 1960–Present

This exhibition explores a rich period of Guatemalan artistic production that began during the “long civil war” of the late 1950s and extends to the present day.

Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art, 1960–Present is the first survey of modern and contemporary art from Guatemala, much of which is little known outside the country. The exhibition explores a rich period of artistic production that began during the “long civil war” of the late 1950s and extends to the present day. It demonstrates the surprising extent to which artists in Guatemala participated in the broader movements and practices of Latin American art, such as geometric abstraction, performance and conceptual art, and new media. Even during the worst years of war and political repression, artists such as Grupo Vértebra members Roberto Cabrera, Marco Augusto Quiroa, and Elmar Rojas produced work, sometimes covertly, that directly engaged the country's socio-political realities. The exhibition will also include a younger generation of Guatemalan artists who came to international prominence following the 1996 peace accords, revealing an artistic history still largely unknown, and showcasing the country's vibrant contemporary art scene today. The three-part exhibition will be presented at MCASB’s galleries, at the Community Arts Workshop, and at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art at Westmont College in nearby Montecito.