LUIS FRANGELLA & DAVID WOJNAROWICZ: NEW YORK / BUENOS AIRES, 1984. BEFORE AND AFTER.

An exhibition featuring Cosmocosa's research project on the underground scenes of the 1980's both in Buenos Aires and the East Village in New York through the lenses of these two artists who had a pivotal role in binding and shaping to what we now recall The East Village “scene” and Buenos Aires “Underground” scene in the ’80’s. It's connections, relationships, and intertwining and most of all, a legacy that assumes an urgent actuality for the reflection and re-evaluation on our present times.

The core of the exhibition is accompanied by a powerful starting point in our research project, the publication “Luis Frangella & David Wojnarowicz in/en Argentina”, authored by Ian Ericsson-Kery and Veronica Flom, edited by Amparo Díscoli, published by Cosmocosa. Buenos Aires, 2017, ISBN 9789874648709. © COSMOCOSA. The publication centers on a trip Luis and David did together in 1984 to Argentina, tired of the over-exploited East Village "brand". The works, the exhibitions, the trips around the country, and the impact of these experiences in their later productions and of those artists who befriended them in both cities.

The exhibition is an exploration of these two artists' collaboration and friendship, and its subsequent ramifications and implications in shaping both art scenes in Buenos Aires and New York in the first years of the aforementioned decade. The artworks presented by artist David Wojnarowicz in this exhibition all belong to the "Buenos Aires’ Series", and they remained hidden from the public eye since 1984 till 2016, when our gallery started representing The Estate of Luis Frangella. With the invaluable help of P.P.O.W Gallery and The Estate of David Wojnarowicz we were able to trace and rebuild this “lost chapter” in both artists history. The works exhibited by Luis Frangella in this show were works he showed in 1984 in his exhibition at Galería del Retiro, while they were both having a simultaneous exhibition at CAyC, and some previous and post works by both Luis and David to help exemplify the depth and breadth of their collaborations in each other’s days and works.

Archival material on display and supporting this exhibition: Full original and digital bibliography, ephemera, archives, photographs and even discography! supporting this exhibition research is open by request for consultations by researchers, curators, art students and anyone interested from Wednesdays to Fridays 14 to 19 hs. via previous appointment at [email protected].