ARCO Madrid 2023

Nothing Concrete
By Rodrigo Fuentes

Jessica Kairé’s folding Monuments are inspired by iconic Guatemalan Monuments, those that recall great historical milestones: independence, the unfinished dream of a united Central America, the Revolution of 1944. But unlike their immutable models, Kairé’s Monuments rise only for brief moments, held by a few hands, only to collapse shortly thereafter. Cleverly, they mimic the flimsy architecture that shapes the collective imagination of Guatemalans.

We pay scant attention to the Monuments that inhabit our city. Battered, obscured by the smoke of pickup trucks, their faces tell us little. Some disappear at night and also during the day, or lose arms and legs that melt to be sold on the black market. They seek to remind us of past glories, but rather refer to the pending promises of our history. In their longed-for grandeur we perceive a gentle irony. What is celebrated here, they seem to say, is far from your reality.

The folding Monuments, on the contrary, suggest lightness. They do not carry the weight of empty words, and in their canvas surfaces there is a gentle warmth. Still, let us not be fooled by the clean lines and comforting volume of these works, for the game is in their political dimension. They will only exist in full body if the people around them organize themselves to lift them up, tense them and keep them on their toes. They remind us that the ideals inscribed in our history are only valid to the extent that people participate in their daily construction. In order for these Monuments to have a body, the spectator must put his or her own.

Nor is it a coincidence that these works appear precisely at this moment, at this juncture. Like the coming and going of the political tides in Guatemala, Kairé’s work reflects the protean relationship that Guatemalans have with our institutions and democracy. Until recently we celebrated with fervor the collective victories of citizenship; just as quickly we understood the fleeting nature of those achievements. The folding Monuments refer to that continuous back-and-forth through their transitory condition and the varied forms in which they are presented: folded on shelves, unfolded in their full volume, or turned into a puddle of fabric at our feet.

Jessica Kairé’s work is related by its precision and discreet humor to the
texts of Augusto Monterroso. Before erecting new Monuments or destroying those
of the past, let’s read and see what both works can tell us.

The Black Sheep
Augusto Monterroso

In a distant country, many years ago, there was a black sheep. She was shot. A century later, the repentant flock erected an equestrian statue of her that looked very nice in the park.