Hinking about art as work: self-management and new job opportunities for artists

Abstract

Within circuits of dissemination, visibility and legitimacy of art that were structured in Argentina, there has been a trend by which metropolitan cities like Buenos Aires have condensed exhibition and marketing spaces with more recognition in this field, thus becoming a privileged center for legitimizing cultural productions and producers. However, the installation of cultural centers in different localities of the Buenos Aires province has generated changes in this distribution dynamics by including spaces that were previously marginalized in the art map. Through a case study, I analyze the changes brought about in the cultural context of Las Flores, a city in the province of Buenos Aires, with the emergence of “La Despensa Cultural”, an independent cultural center promoting the achievements of artists who live in the town. The article aims to examine if the installation of this space created new opportunities locally for the artistic and professional development of artists who lived there.