Artists: Allora & Calzadilla, Lucas Blalock, Borden Capalino, Carolina Caycedo, Lourdes Correa-Carlo, Edmee Feyyo, Radamés “Juni” Figueroa, Jorge González Santos, Vanessa Hernández Garcia, Federico Herrero, Alana Iturralde, Jessica Kaire, Ajay Kurian, Ignacio González Lang, José Lerma, Manuel Mendoza Sánchez, Liliana Porter, Daniel Lind Ramos, Matilsha Marxuach, Lionel Maunz, Andy Meerow, Jesús “Bubu” Negrón, Damián Ortega, Ernesto Pujol, Dhara Rivera, Jorge Rivera, Joel “Yoyo” Rodriguez, Monica Rodriguez, Marxz Rosado, Chemi Rosado-Seijo, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Edra Soto, Andra Ursuta, Alterazioni Video
Exhibition title: We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…
Curated by: Christopher Rivera and Manuela Paz (Embajada)
Venue: Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM), St. Louis, US
Date: September 9, 2022 – February 12, 2023
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM)
August 16, 2022 (St. Louis, MO) – The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) presents We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, an exhibition guest curated by Embajada co-founders Christopher Rivera and Manuela Paz. On view at CAM from September 9, 2022 through February 12, 2023, the show spotlights three key exhibitions that had a hand in shaping many artist practices both in Puerto Rico and internationally.
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it… revisits three seminal exhibition series in Puerto Rico, from 2000 to 2016, that foregrounded the independent spirit of art making in the region. The original projects include M&M Proyectos’ PR Invitational, organized by curator and researcher Michy Marxuach; the Gran Tropical Bienal, founded by curator Pablo León de la Barra; and Cave-In, initiated by gallerist Mike Egan. The exhibitions, which took the form of idiosyncratic biennials, happenings, and installations, have had lasting impacts on practicing artists and in part spurred the self-reliant gallery community
that flourishes in San Juan, Puerto Rico today. Drawing on the archives of each project, the exhibition features a selection of works by Puerto Rican and international artists working in an array of unconventional materials, along with documentation and ephemera. We didn’t ask permission, we just did it… conveys the sense of ambition, collective action, and self-sufficiency of experimental artist communities despite infrastructural limitations.
Exhibiting artists include: Allora & Calzadilla, Lucas Blalock, Borden Capalino, Carolina Caycedo, Lourdes Correa-Carlo, Edmee Feyyo, Radamés “Juni” Figueroa, Jorge González Santos, Vanessa Hernández Garcia, Federico Herrero, Alana Iturralde, Jessica Kaire, Ajay Kurian, Ignacio González Lang, José Lerma, Manuel Mendoza Sánchez, Liliana Porter, Daniel Lind Ramos, Matilsha Marxuach, Lionel Maunz, Andy Meerow, Jesús “Bubu” Negrón, Damián Ortega, Ernesto Pujol, Dhara Rivera, Jorge Rivera, Joel “Yoyo” Rodriguez, Monica Rodriguez, Marxz Rosado, Chemi Rosado-Seijo, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Edra Soto, Andra Ursuta, and Alterazioni Video.
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it… is organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St.
Louis by guest curators Manuela Paz and Christopher Rivera of Embajada, San Juan.
The exhibition is generously supported in part by the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Whitaker Foundation, Berezdivin Collection, Bernard I. Lumpkin and Carmine D. Boccuzzi, Nada and Michael Gray, and Eric and Tamara Schimmel. Special thanks to Barrett Barrera Projects. Street Views is generously supported by the Whitaker Foundation. The artist talk is sponsored by the Robert Lehman Foundation.
About Embajada
Founded in 2015, and named after the Spanish word for embassy, Embajada is a gallery
based in San Juan, Puerto Rico which serves as a bridge connecting artists on the island with the rest of the world, fostering connections to the contemporary art world. For more information, visit embajadada.com.
About the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis creates meaningful engagement with the most relevant and innovative art being made today. Founded by civic and cultural leaders in 1980, the Museum transformed from a small gallery into an internationally recognized arts institution, now permanently housed in a flexible, open, and inviting building designed by renowned American architect Brad Cloepfil. CAM’s distinct architecture reflects the organization’s values and supports a dynamic range of exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and community collaborations. The only museum in the region solely dedicated to contemporary art, CAM is one of the preeminent non-collecting institutions of its kind in the United States. We are a site for discovery, a welcoming space, free and open to all. For more information, visit camstl.org.
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Jorge González, Borden Capalino, We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Jorge González, We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Catalogs for PR’00 [Paréntesis en la “ciudad”] and PR’02 [En ruta], We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Michy Marxuach, Herramienta Generosa Vol. 3. Author. published by Beta Local in Puerto Rico, We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Marxz Rosado, Esteban Valdes, El Proceso para consequi la firma de Pedro Albizu Campos en luces de neón (Process to get the signature of Pedro Albizu Campos in neon lights), 2002, Neon, Featured in PR’02 [En ruta], 2002, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Jesús “Bubu” Negrón, Palma Vejigante (Vejigante Palm Tree), 2012, Mounted photograph with masks by Celele Pizarro, featured in 1st Gran Tropical Bienal, 2014, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Jessica Kaire, Lionel Maunz, Chemi Rosado-Seijo, We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Jose Lerma, Francisco Oller Telephone Number, 2011, hand painted t-shirt, featured in PR’02 [En ruta], 2002, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Alana Iturrralde, Utopic Participatory Sculpture, 2011, Mixed media, Featured in 2nd Gran Tropical Bienal, 2016 Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Manuel Mendoza Sánchez, Propaganda Pirata, 2016, Painting on plastic board, Courtesy of Embajada, San Juan, Puerto Rico Featured in 2nd Gran Tropical Bienal, 2016
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Andra Ursuta, Ethnic Bimbo, 2012, Printed postcard, Courtesy the artist and Ramiken, New York Featured in Cave-In, 2012, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Ignacio González Lang, Open Mic. Fortaleza #302, 2000, Interactive intercom installation, Featured in PR’00 [Paréntesis en la “ciudad”], 2000, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Radamés “Juni” Figueroa, Punto del encuentro ‘El Arcoiris’, 2010, Plastic tubes, spray paint, plants, Berezdivin Collection, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Featured in 1st Gran Tropical Bienal, 2014, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Lourdes Correa-Carlo, Copernicus, 2002, Plastic, wire, Featured in PR’02 [En ruta], 2002, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Esther Kläs, Rain, 2022, Chalk, Featured in Cave-In, 2012, Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler
Andy Meerow, Wet Pain, 2012, print on paper, featured in Cave-In, 2012
We didn’t ask permission, we just did it…, installation view, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, September 9, 2022–February 12, 2023. Photo courtesy Dusty Kessler