Text by Larisa Mantovani
Upon walking into the palace garden, which once in the past belonged to the Errázuriz Alvear family, we can see an old fountain that used to harbor the swans which lent their name to it. A sweet decorative sculpture is located at the center; it is about a boy who tenderly holds a little alligator, whose purpose is to supply the fountain with water. With her installation art, Marcela Cabutti reflects upon the surroundings of the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo and the myriad of objects which are part of its collection.
The piece of art created by the French sculptor Mathurin Moreau is one of a series dedicated to the continents and this one in particular refers to an allegory of Africa. Made by the Val d’Osne Foundry, whose sales houses were in Paris as well as in Buenos Aires, this and other designs could be ordered from a catalogue. Its multiple potential opens the question generated by the meaning it acquires where it is placed. The political and even Colonial content which underlies this theme is sweetened by the fact that they are decorative artworks embellishing gardens and fountains. The artist’s goal is to unveil the operation that seems to be hidden at first sight.
With spring temperatures, these alligators awaken from lethargy to rescue their little offspring. The alligators playfully take up of the themes present in the museum’s heritage that Cabutti investigated and which can be found along the visitor’s circuit, among which are the well-known Perros de Fo or the variety of decorative techniques that include small objects with encrusted precious stones. In this specific case, the incrustations are blue, but they do not allude to sapphires or aquamarine. Those different shades of blue are, to the artist’s eyes, an even more valuable material: Water.
As the vast collection of the museum is mainly of foreign background, the incorporation of elements of the American continent is suggested here as a contrast. They are visually present in the reptiles modelled with the staggered geometric shapes, characteristic of the continent’s tradition. The reference to the transformation from human being to animal is also present, as it is mentioned in the song which lends its name to this set of art pieces: “I saw a very peculiar alligator with a human face”. These subtle references to the Americas remind us of the attempts made by the first director of Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, Ignacio Pirovano to make the collection also hold a dialogue with the pieces of the indigenous production.
What is the significance of a cast iron sculpture made in France with references to Africa −as an homogeneous whole−, placed in South America, in an originally upper-class palace in Buenos Aires city ? Its context requires us for a new meaning.
I am grateful to: Álvaro Rufiner, Julián Mizrahi, Larisa Mantovani, Natalia Pastorino, Juano Games, Mario Moltedo, Adhesivos Parsecs, Bolitas Tinka Nilda Fink , Paula Castellano, Santiago Cabutti and to all the staff of the Decorative Art National Museum