Los limites del afuera

PUERTO RICO | Last November, OtherNetwork was proud to facilitate a connection between two sides of the Caribbean Sea through ‘Los limites del afuera’, an exhibition guest curated by experimental Colombian arts space La Casa de Meira, at Beta–Local in San Juan. 

The exhibition, curated by Ana Ruiz Valencia and María Isabel Rueda from, brought together works by artists across Puerto Rico, Colombia and the wider Caribbean region, including Ser del Cosmos, Awilda Sterling-Duprey, Simón Vega, Maritza Sánchez Hernández, La Vulcanizadora (María Rojas Arias & Andrés Jurado) and Tony Cruz Pabón. Rooted in different conceptual, disciplinary, and geographic shores, the work of the artists landed in the exhibition space of Beta–Local from a number of sites of investigation, including beaches colonised by tourists across the Caribbean to a jungle used for astronaut training during the Cold War.

With geopolitical tension focusing the world’s attention to the Caribbean, it was inspiring for OtherNetwork to learn how the cultural connections could manifest through artistic collaboration. While political cooperation across the region is limited – with many Islands maintaining greater political connection to current and former colonial powers than to one another – there is clearly an enduring desire for cultural solidarity. Puerto Rico itself acts as an interesting periphery, polarised between those who proudly identify with their Caribbean heritage, and others who focus on their (imposed) Americanness. Visiting Puerto Rico, it’s also difficult to ignore how the island is profoundly affected by the climate crisis, with damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017 still shaping the landscape, particularly in areas outside of the capital.

As a project, OtherNetwork is interested in dissecting how independent cultural production works across diverse geographical regions: how do environmental, social, economic and spatial conditions support or hinder artistic practice? Our collaborators in Puerto Rico welcomed us with open arms, and were quick to share their perspectives on the strong sense of identity that drives much of the island’s creative output. Ahead of the exhibition opening, we sat down with Michael Linares – co-founder of Beta–Local together with Pablo Guardiola Sánchez – who offered a window into how their own worldview as Puerto Ricans shapes their practice as an art space.

What is the origin story behind Beta–Local?
It pretty much came out of the need for getting in touch with peers and colleagues at a time when everyone was moving out of Puerto Rico to the States during the recession, because we have American passports, technically. So it was started by a group of friends that wanted to stay in Puerto Rico and do art from Puerto Rico. We believe that in Puerto Rico we have a particular way of making art, a particular way of thinking about art that’s been shaped by our customs and as Puerto Ricans – even the bad aspects of it.
How did Beta–Local end up in this space?
We used to be in Old San Juan paying a mostly symbolic amount of rent to the Institute of Culture, but a few years after Hurricane Maria, they got the FEMA money to fix damage to the building. It was not damaged at all, but they used that as an excuse to kick us out. So eventually we found this building in Santurce, which is pretty nice, but once we moved here we had to start paying ‘grown-up’ rent. 
What’s cultural funding like in Puerto Rico?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, funding and aid started coming in. But we noticed that the funding was a way of manipulating us to stay in a state of crisis. In order to ask for money to do a project, something had to be damaged. We told them that we didn’t want money to fix anything, we just wanted to keep doing our work!
What is the main issue facing artists in Puerto Rico now?
The main issues come from being a colony of the United States. For me, art is the materialisation of culture, and it’s important to preserve Puerto Rican art as something that can be looked at in the future.
Who has access to Beta–Local?
Now that we’re paying for the space, we have started slowly lending it to colleagues. We have developed a council of artists that represent the community, and they manage the calendar and pay attention to who’s following the rules. Little by little, we start building trust. The idea is that Beta–Local is a space for everyone… that’s the main goal!

PUBLIC PROGRAMME
When we talk about independent cultural production in Puerto Rico, this isn’t limited to galleries and art spaces. Through Beta–Local, we were also able to connect with the energetic Anamarie Sierra Pagán, who wanted to combine her interest in critical theory and amateur speleology. Hosting the very first OtherNetwork production in a cave, Anamarie invited a circle of players to join her underground for an experimental reading of George Bataille’s ‘Lascaux or the Birth of Art’. Here, an audience of intrepid hikers – and some bats – could experience the text being read aloud in a circle, allowing overlapping and divergent meanings to be injected into the discourse. Anamarie told us “I can’t see myself going back to presenting my work in art spaces after this!”

Directly connected to Los límites del afuera, a programme of events were hosted in a number of other spaces and gathering points for the artistic community, including radio broadcasts by Maritza Sánchez Hernández around the city and at the family home of Tony Cruz Pabón, a film screening by La Vulcanizadora at El Bastión, and a DJ set by Doña Roots at El Local.

Los límites del afuera is a project by ifa – Institut fur Auslandsbeziehungen. OtherNetwork appreciates ifa’s partnership in our ongoing mission to foster transnational collaboration between independent art spaces.