Buenos Aires-Madrid Connection, to fall in love with Buenos Aires culture
On the façade of the Palacio de Linares, Casa de América's headquarters, there is a gigantic four-eyed butterfly, Junonia Genoveva Hilaris in its scientific name. It is endemic to the region of Buenos Aires and is the emblem of the transversal project Conexión Buenos Aires-Madrid, which during the first fortnight of March occupies the entire building located in Plaza de Cibeles, with the declared aim of "falling in love with the culture of Buenos Aires from Madrid".
In total, 28 artistic manifestations, 800 hours of exhibitions and performances and 30 artists from the other side of the ocean make up an exhibition that brings together cinema, theatre, book presentations, gastronomic tastings, exhibitions, debates and tango and dance exhibitions.
The exhibition was inaugurated by the director general of Casa de América, Enrique Ojeda, and his counterpart from the Ministry of Culture of Buenos Aires, María Victoria Alcaraz, who were joined by the actor and director, Leonardo Sbaraglia, who is well known on both sides of the Atlantic. The symbol of the project, the aforementioned four-eyed butterfly, was presented to both Casa de América and the Madrid City Council by its author, Andrés Paredes, who is also the author of the installation " The Butterfly Revolution", where sixty of these colourful lepidoptera spread their wings in a flight of glory and celebrate the great passage that has led them to freedom.
"Sur magazine and its group"; "Arturo Massa: worker of photography"; "Expanded limits"; "Tesoro costume collection and UrbanaBA - People of my city", make up the group of exhibitions.
In addition to the multi-award winning "Argentina 1985", films such as "Historias mínimas" by Paula Hernández and "Sol de Otoño" by Eduardo Mignogna will be shown. And there will be time for debate at the presentation of the book "Entre el corazón y la razón" (Ed. Biblos), a collection of letters by Ortega y Gasset and Victoria Ocampo.
"Romance del Baco y la Vaca", directed and performed by Antonio Caponi from a text by Gerardo Demaría, opens the theatre chapter. A play that teaches the most distinctly Argentine rural tradition mixed with Greek epic and blues. Also not to be missed is "Rota", by Natalia Villamil, directed by Mariano Stolkier and performed by Raquel Ameri.
And finally, the MAIA Festival will take place throughout the first fortnight of March. A call to transgenerational action, it will bring together intellectual leaders, artists, corporate and social organisations, to enable dialogues that highlight plurality in diversity. International Women's Day will be celebrated at the halfway point of this project, with female personalities as relevant as Mariana Carnavalli, Esther Zulli, Patricia Pitaluga, María Castillo de Luna, Graciela de Oto, Delfina Monpelat or Verónica Bacarat.
As Leonardo Sbaraglia pointed out in his presentation, many Spaniards dreamt and fulfilled their dreams while living in the Argentine capital, but many other Argentines also realise their best dreams in Spain. "Don't go to Madrid," he said, alluding to an anonymous quote, "because you won't be able to hold back the tears when you have to go back".