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Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla: Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos)

September 23, 2015–January 31, 2018, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos)

Between Guayanilla and Peñuelas, Puerto Rico

Overview

Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos), a Dia commission by artist duo Allora & Calzadilla, was situated within a natural limestone cave system near the southern coast of Puerto Rico, between the municipalities of Guayanilla and Peñuelas. This long-term, site-specific work integrated the journey to the site as part of the viewer’s engagement to create an immersive experience. Bringing together art-historical and technical experimentation, it epitomizes the artists’ interest in confronting contemporary spectatorship with the deepest layers of the human past.

Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) was Dia Art Foundation’s first commissioned site outside the continental United States since Joseph Beuys’s 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks), which was inaugurated at Documenta in 1982. 

This project is organized in collaboration with Para La Naturaleza, the nonprofit unit of The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) has received lead support from project sponsors Robert and Encarnita Valdes Quinlan. Major support is provided by the Teiger Foundation. Generous support has been provided by the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation and Dia’s Commissioning Committee: Marguerite S. Hoffman, Fady Jameel, Jill and Peter Kraus, and Leslie and Mac McQuown. Additional support is provided by Tony Bechara, the Leon Levy Foundation, and Pedro Jimenez. Generous funding for the publication is provided by VIA Art Fund. Additional support is provided by Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels; Kurimanzutto, Mexico City; and Lisson Gallery, London and Milan.

 

Versión en español

Allora & Calzadilla: Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) is a cross-disciplinary essay collection that draws connections among multiple fields and questions (art-historical, environmental, scientific, philosophical, and literary) intrinsic to the artists’ site-specific work. For this eclectic publication the artists have chosen a diverse list of writers to offer original perspectives on light sculpture, global electrification, cave art, and the emerging field of biosemiotics, among other concerns.

Contributors include Juan López Bauzá, Sharon Beder, Franco “Bifo” Berardi, Manuel Cirauqui, Kalevi Kull, Yates McKee, Jessica Morgan, Timothy Morton, Molly Nesbit, Spyros Papapetros, Yasmil Raymond, Emma Stone, and Michael Taussig.

Allora & Calzadilla: Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) was published in 2016 in a bilingual English and Spanish edition.

Thank you for your interest in Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, which will be on view Wednesday through Sunday from September 23, 2015–January 31, 2018, in Puerto Rico. There is no charge, but reservations are required. Visit the reservations page, hosted by our partner for this project, Para la Naturaleza. Online reservations are available here.

Photography and Recording Policy
Photography of Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) is not permitted. Visitors may photograph their journey but will not be permitted to upon arrival of the installation. Dia Art Foundation reserves the right to prohibit photography in the area at any time. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in visitors being asked to cease activities and leave the premises.

For press images email press@diaart.org and for rights and reproductions inquiries please contact rights@diaart.org.

Contact
For more information about the project, email puertoricanlight@diaart.org and for questions regarding reservations and school or group tours, please call 787 722 5882.

 

Artist

Allora & Calzadilla

Jennifer Allora was born in Philadelphia in 1974. Guillermo Calzadilla was born in Havana in 1971. They live and work in San Juan.

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Books

Photo: Don Stahl

Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos)

Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) gathers contemporary scholarship on issues surrounding Allora & Calzadilla's project. Instead of a traditional catalogue, it acts as both artist's book and critical compilation.

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