Tierra del DeBen and "Art"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Last page of Ushuaia pictures.  It was one of those places that I felt like I could live but at the same time I needed to leave before it got too cold or I would have to live there for about 6 months.  Most of the pictures below are from an event called the "Primero Bienal del Fin del Mundo".  It's an annual art expo where artists come from allover the world and make their political statements through art.  This is the first time that it's being held in Ushuaia and there are exhibits throughout the city.  They say that there are artists from over 30 countries but Argentina and Brazil were the primary participants here so far.  The event lasts for another month so maybe more countries will join in later.

            Argentina scores the lowest every year, out of all the Americas, in a survey for a USA approval rating.  The survey results are reported in "The Economist" and typically show that only about 15% of Argentineans "approve of" the USA [I don't know who scores the highest because the friend that pointed this out prefers to emphasize the negatives about the USA].  These negative sentiments are apparent in some of the stuff below and throughout the country in general - just like the little park in San Julian from the first page of Tierra del DeBen photo's, where they fly flags of all their friends and don't include the USA.  Although Argentineans can be a bit snotty from time to time [they're known as the French of South America] the only way it has impacted my trip has been through spending a little extra time at border crossings. 

Click on the image and throw a yogurt cocktail at Argentina.

 

Glacier Martial is on the northeast side of town and it's a great 20 minute motorcycle ride on a well-paved, winding and scenic road.

A view to the east of town.

Closer view of "5 brothers" from the previous photo.

Closeup of the other side of that photo - I'm not sure what it's called.

My afternoon photo friend Fernanda holding a banner from one of the towns exhibits.

This long line of banners was all part of "The First Bienal del Fin del Mundo". An art expo with a global warming anti-USA twist.

Okay, maybe saying "art expo" and "global warming anti-USA" is redundant, especially in Argentina.

Nice horsie. After a couple of pictures he walked right up to me like he wanted a tip. I just petted him on the nose and that seemed to be enough.

That "ET" spaceship-monster looking thing almost ate the moon.

The banners were all symbolic of indigenous people and their cultures, and of their demise.

Cool cloud over the banners.

Inside the Bienal. Half full, or empty, glasses of water lined up in the shape of a something.

Art.

This is my contribution; I call it "girl standing still in room with wiggly lights hanging from the ceiling while other people move". Perfect.

Fake, broken ice cream cones in front of boxes. Too deep for my guess.

The image of a guy throwing a molotov cocktail was created as the protest theme for Bush's recent visits to South America.

"Why do we Fight?". These posters are all around the city.

Earth sans water. We'll look like this by August if you don't put down that hairspary and stop driving that SUV.

Film; bird sitting on an ice cube. It appears to die as the ice cube melts. So stay away from that damn hair spray!

Birds eye view [live bird, not sitting on an ice cube].[actually its just me holding a camera].

Baby heads on sticks - who doesn't like to see that at an art expo?

The titles under these were different psychological disorders; this one is masochism [something, I can't translate 'motocompasion'].

I don't have any idea what to say about this one.

I don't believe in excorcisms but in cases like this I might be inclined to say "what the heck, it can't hurt".

Large pencil art.

Another birds-eye-view.

Heaters melting wax, kid watching.

These type of tents were used at some kind of camping expedition on Antarctica.

Pictures from that expedition.

Another film - this girl standing here pouring and endless supply of water into a bottomless bowl.

They had this film playing with different images.

Actually it was just a big anti-USA flick.

Get the theme??

The "performers" from this gig and the next were a couple from Brazil.

Meaning: "I've never actually had a job before but I've done enough drugs to know exactly what it would be like and this is it". Same meaning for next

She walked back and forth getting a spoonfull of flower and dumping it, then turning around and repeating the action, looking hypnotized.

I just wanted to end the page with Ushuaia scenery instead of stoner-art.