Resistencia is Argentina's City of Sculptures
An Open-air Museum of 500 Carvings, Murals and Sculptures
Oct 30, 2008
In the 1940s the brothers Aldo and Efraín Boglietti started El Fogón de los Arrieros, a cultural centre, from where they initiated and stimulated cultural developments in Resistencia – among which a display of sculptures throughout the city. After the brothers passed away the Urunday Foundation continued the work of cultural centre El Fogón de los Arrieros, and became the organization responsible for Resistencia's sculptural art.
South America's Biennial Sculpture Contest in Resistencia
It started in 1988 with a yearly, national sculpture contest on Plaza 25 de Mayo, downtown Resistencia. Throughout the years the sculpture contest grew into a biennial, international and renowned competition – turning Resistencia into an important artistic stage worldwide. The initial national contest consisted of carving a trunk of Urunday [native hardwood] into a sculpture. Since 1996 this has changed: at each contest artists are challenged to work with different materials [like travertine marble or metal] and on varying themes. Since 1998 the biennial sculpture contest in Resistencia receives support of Unesco.
Due to the popularity of the contest and the large number of people visiting it [about 10,000 per day], the Urunday Organization changed location and the sculpture competition is currently held at 2 De Febrero Parque, on the north side of Resistencia. Not only is it possible to watch the artists work at their sculptures, during the week a full program of social and cultural activities is organized in Resistencia.
From Sculpture Contest to Open-air Museum in Resistencia – the City of Sculptures
The sculpture contest is held during the third week of July. The international artists share their first meal at cultural centre El Fogón de los Arrieros, in honor of Aldo Boglietti – who may be considered the founder of Resistencia as the City of Sculptures. The Argentinean Schools of Fine Arts also participate in this contest, during which a sculpture competition is held among their schools. After the contest the sculptures remain in the 2 De Febrero Parque until a proper location is found in Resistencia's open-air museum.
El MusEUM – Museo de las Esculturas Urbanas del Mundo in Resistencia
2 De Febrero Parque also houses Urunday Foundation's headquarters: an office, a maintenance and restoration department and El MusEUM – the latter consisting of a sculpture park and an exhibition hall. El MusEUM stands for Museo de las Esculturas Urbanas del Mundo ["Museum of Urban Sculptures of the World"]. "It signifies that it is a museum of world-renowned artists and that it doesn't only comprise Argentinean art", Fabriciano – the president of the Urunday Foundation – emphasizes.
The Urunday Foundation's office supplies information about the international sculpture contest, as well as about the Resistencia's outdoor museum. Their brochure about the city's sculptures is much more elaborate than the one supplied by the Tourist Information Office on Plaza de 25 Mayo, not only stating the sculptures' locations but also their artists’ names, dates and titles of the works of art. This additional information about the sculptures is far from superfluous since the plaques of 150 of the 500 sculptures are missing, as are the funds to replace them.
Books About Sculptures in Resistencia
The Urunday Foundation sells two books in their office [2 De Febrero Parque]:
- "Chaco Esculpe una Ciudad ["Chaco sculpts a city"] – 20 años 1988-2008" gives a good impression of the development of the sculpture contest and the participating artists. Written in English, Spanish, Portuguese [ISBN 978-987-23242-3-0].
- "Resistencia – Ciudad de las Esculturas" ["City of Sculptures"] gives excellent background information and pictures of all sculptures in Resistencia up to 2000. Written in English, Spanish, Portuguese [ISBN 987-98219-04].
Murals and Museums in Argentina and Paraguay
- Check out Resource for Travel in Argentina – Museums and Cultural Centres for other [outdoor] museums like the urban museum Rosario, in Buenos Aires Province.
- Since 2007 Asunción, Paraguay's capital, organizes international sculpture contests focused on murals, resulting in an open-air museum of murals throughout the city.
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