14 June – 10 November 2019
Open daily 10.00–18.00
Supported by The Sol Calero Exhibition Supporters Group
For public information call +44(0)151 702 7400, visit Tate Liverpool or follow @tateliverpool #SolCalero
Sol Calero, Interiores 2017. Installation view, Dortmunder Kunstverein. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Simon Vogel
Tate Liverpool presents a new commission by Sol Calero (b. 1982). For her first museum display in the UK, Calero brings to the gallery a brightly coloured, immersive installation that explores themes of cultural stereotypes and the tourism industry.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela and based in Berlin, Sol Calero’s work is inspired by her birthplace. She explores themes of representation, identity, displacement and marginalisation, all informed by her own perspective as a migrant. Calero often refers to her experience of living between two cultures and resulting mixed identity. Entitled El Autobús 2019, Calero presents an installation inspired by a recent journey through Latin America. This features a vibrant new mural, painted in-situ around the gallery walls enclosing a bus-like structure. From Mexico to Argentina public buses are richly decorated vehicles, typically incorporating religious and folk iconography. Locals often travel long distances on these buses, coming into the city centre from the suburbs, or travelling to work or school in other towns. However, for the tourist, the bus is a vehicle of leisure, demonstrating the divide between those for whom the every-day commute is a necessity and those who choose to use local buses in search of exotic adventure. El Autobús explores these themes, identifying that while global tourism has become more accessible, this accessibility largely applies to those from affluent western nations. Further to this, Calero explores tourism marketing and how it contributes to perceptions of places that are often at odds with reality. Latin America becomes seen as an idealised place – an image rooted in cliché and stereotypes that fails to recognise its complex and diverse cultures.
The work invites visitors to immerse themselves in an audio-visual experience taking them on a guided tour that blurs fantasy and reality. Footage shot during Calero’s own travels is combined with a fictionalised audio guide, promising romantic visions of destinations that will never be reached. Meanwhile, the floor-to-ceiling mural will envelope visitors with a landscape of patterns, panoramic views, floral motifs and architectural elements.
Sol Calero: El Autobús is curated by Kasia Redzisz, Senior Curator, with Laura Bruni, Assistant Curator, Tate Liverpool.