Allora & Calzadilla
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla (born 10 January 1971) are a collaborative duo of visual artists who live and work in San Juan, Puerto Rico
. They represented the USA in the 2011 Venice Biennale.
; she received a BA from the University of Richmond in Virginia (1996), a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 2003 and was a fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Independent Study Program.
Guillermo Calzadilla was born in Havana, Cuba; he received a BFA from Escuela de Artes Plásticas, San Juan, Puerto Rico (1996) and an MFA from Bard College
in 2001.
The artists met while studying abroad in Florence
, Italy
. They have worked together since 1995.
In 2007, Allora and Calzadilla exhibited at the Renaissance Society. The show included compositions from ten other Chicago-area musicians.
In 2008 Allora & Calzadilla were featured in the PBS series Art:21.
The artists were finalists for the Hugo Boss Prize
in 2005. Their works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art
, Tate Modern
, and Centre Georges Pompidou
, among others.
Allora & Calzadilla have also been shortlisted for London's 2011 Fourth Plinth commission. Fourth Plinth
Allora & Calzadilla have collaboratively produced an expansive interdisciplinary body of work including sculpture, photography, performance, sound and video. Their artistic practice engages with history and contemporary geo-political realities, destabilizing and re-ordering them in ways that can be alternately humorous, poetic, and revelatory. Their work has been featured in solo exhibitions
internationally, including Haus der Kunst, Münich (2008), Serpentine Gallery and Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2007),, Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France (2008), Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (2008), Kunsthalle Zurich (2007), National Museum of Art, Oslo (2009) and the Renaissance Society, Chicago (2007).
(ECA) announced the selection of Allora & Calzadilla as the American representative to the 2011 Venice Biennale, marking the first time for artists living in Puerto Rico represent the U.S. The Indianapolis Museum of Art
will present their work, which will consist of 6 new commissions.
Yates McKee, “Allora & Calzadilla. The monstrous dimension of art,” Flash Art, Milan, no. 240, January–February 2005.
J.J. Charlesworth, “Allora & Calzadilla: Power Plays,” Art Review, London, Issue 15, October 2007.
Tom McDonough, “Use What Sinks: Allora & Calzadilla,” Art in America, New York City, no. 1, January 2008.
Yates McKee, "Wake, Vestige, Survival: Sustainability and the Politics of the Trace in Allora and Calzadilla’s Land Mark", October #133, MIT Press, summer 2010.
Art in Review: Allora & Calzadilla by Holland Cotter, The New York Times, January 30, 2009
Allora & Calzadilla by Ingrid Chu, Frieze Online Blog, February 23, 2009
Trumpets and Turtles by Sally O’Reilly, Frieze, Issue 108, June-August 2007
Sound Tracks: Hannah Feldman on the Art of Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla by Hannah Feldman, Artforum, May 2007
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. They represented the USA in the 2011 Venice Biennale.
Work and career
Jennifer Allora was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; she received a BA from the University of Richmond in Virginia (1996), a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 2003 and was a fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
Independent Study Program.
Guillermo Calzadilla was born in Havana, Cuba; he received a BFA from Escuela de Artes Plásticas, San Juan, Puerto Rico (1996) and an MFA from Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
in 2001.
The artists met while studying abroad in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. They have worked together since 1995.
In 2007, Allora and Calzadilla exhibited at the Renaissance Society. The show included compositions from ten other Chicago-area musicians.
In 2008 Allora & Calzadilla were featured in the PBS series Art:21.
The artists were finalists for the Hugo Boss Prize
Hugo Boss Prize
The Hugo Boss Prize is awarded every other year to an artist working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Since its establishment in 1996, it has distinguished itself from other art awards because it has no restrictions on nationality or age...
in 2005. Their works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
, and Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
, among others.
Allora & Calzadilla have also been shortlisted for London's 2011 Fourth Plinth commission. Fourth Plinth
Allora & Calzadilla have collaboratively produced an expansive interdisciplinary body of work including sculpture, photography, performance, sound and video. Their artistic practice engages with history and contemporary geo-political realities, destabilizing and re-ordering them in ways that can be alternately humorous, poetic, and revelatory. Their work has been featured in solo exhibitions
internationally, including Haus der Kunst, Münich (2008), Serpentine Gallery and Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2007),, Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France (2008), Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (2008), Kunsthalle Zurich (2007), National Museum of Art, Oslo (2009) and the Renaissance Society, Chicago (2007).
2011 Venice Biennale
On September 8, 2010, the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural AffairsBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world...
(ECA) announced the selection of Allora & Calzadilla as the American representative to the 2011 Venice Biennale, marking the first time for artists living in Puerto Rico represent the U.S. The Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
will present their work, which will consist of 6 new commissions.
Other Awards & Grants
- 2007 Rencontres d'Arles Discovery Award laureate, France.
- 2006 Nam June Paik Award Finalist
- 2006 Hugo Boss PrizeHugo Boss PrizeThe Hugo Boss Prize is awarded every other year to an artist working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Since its establishment in 1996, it has distinguished itself from other art awards because it has no restrictions on nationality or age...
Finalist - 2004 Gwangju Biennial Prize
- 2002 Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant
- 2000-2001 CintasCintasCintas Corporation , based in Mason, Ohio, is a publicly traded company that operates more than 400 facilities throughout North America. The company provides specialized services to businesses, including the design and manufacturing of corporate identity uniform programs, entrance mats, restroom...
Fellowship - 2008 DAAD, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Berlin
Literature
Michel Feher (ed. by). Non-Governmental Politics, Zone Books & the MIT Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-890951-74-0Yates McKee, “Allora & Calzadilla. The monstrous dimension of art,” Flash Art, Milan, no. 240, January–February 2005.
J.J. Charlesworth, “Allora & Calzadilla: Power Plays,” Art Review, London, Issue 15, October 2007.
Tom McDonough, “Use What Sinks: Allora & Calzadilla,” Art in America, New York City, no. 1, January 2008.
Yates McKee, "Wake, Vestige, Survival: Sustainability and the Politics of the Trace in Allora and Calzadilla’s Land Mark", October #133, MIT Press, summer 2010.
Reviews and criticism
The Year in Art: Times are Tough? Bring on Vermeer and the Pianos by Holland Cotter, The New York Times, December 20, 2009Art in Review: Allora & Calzadilla by Holland Cotter, The New York Times, January 30, 2009
Allora & Calzadilla by Ingrid Chu, Frieze Online Blog, February 23, 2009
Trumpets and Turtles by Sally O’Reilly, Frieze, Issue 108, June-August 2007
Sound Tracks: Hannah Feldman on the Art of Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla by Hannah Feldman, Artforum, May 2007
External links
- Galerie Chantal Crousel: Allora & Calzadilla
- Gladstone Gallery: Allora & Calzadilla
- Kurimanzutto Gallery: Allora & Calzadilla
- Lisson Gallery: Allora & Calzadilla
- Allora & Calzadilla Interview with Carlos Motta. Online resources include video Returning a Sound (2004)
- Allora & Calzadilla in artfacts
- Allora & Calzadilla at Kunstverein Munchen and Haus der Kunst
- TateShots at the Venice Biennale 2011: Allora and Calzadilla at the American Pavilion 9 June 2011