Buenos Aires as described by Marta Minujín: art, luxury and little ants
Eccentric and hyperactive, the artist who rose to fame in the 70s with its happenings continues today as active as in her youth. Through her work, she lived in and , where she became a close friend of Andy Warhol. But she decided to return to , where she lives in love with the Obelisk and the river.
Where is your favorite place in ?
Puerto Madero, because I love walking through the docks to feel in close touch with nature. Usually I go at night, especially on weekdays, when there are few people. Being next to the river gives me great peace, especially when the moon rises and I can see it there in the open sky.
What other things do you do to escape the urban rat race?
Go sailing with my family, because the boat is clear of the ground and I can drop any problem: everything bad is in town and I walk away in the water...
But if you need to feel the vital pulse of , experiencing its most energizing aspect, where are you going?
The Obelisk, undoubtedly, is the most powerful thing of the city. When I leave my house in Recoleta to my workshop in San Cristóbal, I walk down the Avenida 9 de Julio and always go around noon, when human rivers cross the streets. It strikes me that landscape. Also, with the Obelisk I have a very special relationship: it starred in my works many times, until I went into it! I got the key and went up to make a film from its window in 1978.
What does look like from the Obelisk?
Awesome. You see people as they were ants, not black ant but of several colors. I wanted to paint the inside of the monument to achieve a hidden wok of art that nobody could see, and perhaps be discovered in thousand years, but I wasn’t allowed to do that! I’ll insist on that soon...
What is for you the most creative place in town?
Palermo, no doubt. There is much diversity of artists and proposals, but a general creative mood that is present in no other area of Buenos Aires.
You lived in NYC and parís. Why did you come back to ?
First, because I have a house I inherited from my father which is my place in the world. I am also here for my affections: I can’t imagine my life without them. And finally, because I have here the best Workshops: huge and super comfortable, which I can’t imagine anywhere else.
You live in the neighborhood of Recoleta. What do you see when you sit and have a coffee?
I am in the area of Vicente López Park, which I love. There’re many babies in stroller with their mothers, but also very mellow ladies who dress as if they still were living at the beginning of last century, capturing the style of other times ... I also like watching the runners who train in the square. It’s a very exciting neighborhood.
If Andy Warhol came to visit you, where would you take him?
Child's play: we were going to walk down the Avenida Alvear, to enjoy this very elegant area and see beautiful people. He liked the esteemed people and the luxury, so I'm sure he would love to take pictures at the Hotel Alvear and Patio Bullrich. And for eating, I’d take him to La Rambla, a bar in Ayacucho and Posadas where they know me well, because I go every day for thirty years.
