In today’s increasingly globalized art world, power, both institutional and discursive, is becoming decentralized.  Physical presence at various locations is necessary to stay abreast of artistic discourse which is often collaborative, performative, ephemeral, and thus irreducible to reproductions or catalogue essays. As a result, the notion of an “art center” should be understood not as a matter of fixed geographical boundaries but as a fluid, temporal concept. 

Formed in 2008, Amor Pirata is a group of emerging artists and art historians in Chicago interested in collaborative art practices outside of centralized institutional frameworks.  Living and working in Chicago, we are immersed in a city with a thriving web of collaborative, artist-run projects that bridge the gap between local concerns and international currents. In thinking about our futures as artists and art historians in Chicago, we became interested in communities of artists pursuing similar themes elsewhere.

We recognize an intriguing model in the practices of young Havana-based artists who respond to their position in the art world with a range of collective and discursive practices and have experienced international exposure at the Havana Biennial.  We are less interested in learning about art practice in Havana than in learning from it, specifically in ways that could directly affect our own practices and research. 

-Amor Pirata