Although the official opening is this Tuesday at 11 in the morning, the first open-air museum in Mar del Plata It can now be visited in the middle of San Martín Park. There are more than thirty photos of Gabriel Rocca reproduced on a large scale and mounted on a special structure, with images of some of the most famous local rock musicians.
The project took shape after the great repercussion that the Open Sky Museum obtained in the city of Buenos Aires in the summer of 2021 in the Floralis and in the suburbs of the Sívori Museum. Now the photos were mounted on land donated by the municipality of Mar del Plata and with the support of two sponsors (Havanna and Cabrales) and a tour was arranged.
The material includes studio portraits and live shots of emblematic figures such as Gustavo Cerati, Charly García, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Federico Moura, Miguel Abuelo, Fabiana Cantilo, Sandra & Celeste, Luca Prodan, David Lebón, Patricia Sosa and Ricardo Mollo.
“The energy of those years”
According to Gabriel Rocca, “The material belongs to my photographic archives from the 80s and some from other more recent decades. I searched for iconic and many unpublished photos, backstage moments and tours of great bands such as Serú Girán, Los Abuelos di Niente, The Twists, Viruses and Sumo. I wanted to put together a sequence that would bring us back to the energy of those years. Most are analog and black and white.”
And he added: “The curatorship goes through pre and post democracy moments of 1983. There are photos of a series of posters from Cantarock magazine, where the musicians dressed in a particular way, such as Charly dressed for his first communion, and also others who were on the cover of Hair magazine”.
Regarding the project in Mar del Plata, Rocca underlines the support and enthusiasm of Mayor Guillermo Montenegro and Culture Minister Carlos Balmaceda:
“Since I suggested this initiative, both have embraced the idea as one of the great contributions to Mar del Plata. Subsequently, classic and traditional sponsors of the seaside city, such as Cabrales and Havanna, have united so that today a free museum is a reality and free for all to see. And the most interesting thing is that this space will remain over time and different artists will pass through it.”
Other material with QR
The works measure 2.00 x 1.50 metres for the most part, and some of larger dimensions, supported by a metal frame made especially for the Museum. They’re printed on vinyl canvas using high-quality, durable textures so this outdoor photography exhibit can be viewed and walked around all summer long.
A special detail of the sample is that each photo has a QR code through which you can access information, details and the story of the shot, told by Gabriel Rocca himself in a video.
So, for example, there seem to be photos taken at the legendary Rock in Bali festival in 1986, held a few kilometers from Mar del Plata, where everything from Soda Stereo and Virus to Sumo, Andrés Calamaro and David Lebón played.
Rock in Mardel
The last exhibition of works by Gabriel Rocca in the city was at the MAR Museum, in 2019, with a record number of visitors. “Returning to the beloved city of Mar del Plata – he said – is something that fills me with enthusiasm, and I was able to reopen my files as if it were a secret that deserves to be told and shared, after so many years kept”.
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Source: Clarin
