SCREENS: On Sabotage and Refusal in Latin American Art

Ronny Albuja, Llévame cielo, agárrame tierra [Take me sky, hold me me earth], 2023. Biosculpture and procedural video. Installation view: Espacios Líquidos: Políticas de la Pantalla, Bienal Universitaria de Arte Multimedial, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito, Ecuador, 2023-2024.

Latin America provides a unique perspective on our relationship with screens, echoing concerns of the Global North while also adding a distinct perspective. Screens, beyond being mere technological artifacts, also represent cultural and artistic forms with which we interact, create, and experience our world. Shaped by historical legacies like colonialism and the process of mestizaje, as well as the shared experience of Spanish as a predominant language, Latin America’s cultural awareness is intricate and specific in relation to other geographies, while still being very nuanced. Yet, what remains as a shared condition at large is how its socio-political history is marked by tensions and contradictions, largely due to a constant struggle for autonomy against imperialism.