Bio
Agustín Jais is an artist, curator and cultural producer born in Buenos Aires in 1985.
He studied photography and arts, creative technologies and cultural management.
He presented individual and collective projects in Israel, Belgium, Paraguay and Argentina, and was selected for residencies in New York, Brussels, Antwerp, Ciudad de Mexico and Jerusalem.
In Argentina, he founded and was director of a cultural venue/platform, an independent art space and a new media festival. He acted as curator for 30 exhibitions and international residency programs.
He was Associate Professor of Media and Digital Culture, and lectured internationally about collaborative initiatives and the intersection between Art and Human Rights.
Since 2020, Agustín lives in Jerusalem, where he is a resident artist at Art Cube Artists’ Studios.
He is a member of Asylum Arts and ROI.
About
I’m a multimedia artist, curator and cultural agent. Most often than not, my work:
- revolves around human interactions and collective agency, i.e. relational anxieties, the dynamics of mission-driven organizations and the relations between culture and civil society.
- comes out of the interaction with specific territorial or institutional contexts. Artworks are used as props to create interactions or as documentation of shared actions, as well as to enable storytelling.
- uses video, photography and new media; drawings; and objects, texts and activities. Most times these media are presented in combination, taking final form as performances, installations and publications.
- explores accessible technologies as well as media and procedural restrictions, and operates in dialogue with existing cultural artifacts.
- sometimes blurs boundaries between art practice and curating, by activating networks of collaboration and looking to manage the real. Other times however, I indulge in observation and learning.
Media
Artmaking / Erev Rav • ArtSpiel • Clarín • Rosario/12
Curating / Clarín • El País • Telam • Estudios Curatoriales UNTREF • AJ+ • Página/12: SOY • Éter • Leedor • Amazonas • Cosecha Roja • Nueva Ciudad • Clarín
Managing / Shareable (in English) • Clarín • La Nación • Cultra • Aires Buenos (in Portuguese) • 2eme lieu (in English) • CLACSO
Resume
EXHIBITIONS & PERFORMANCES
Solo Exhibitions
· «Where People Kiss». Club Cultural Matienzo, Buenos Aires, 2018. Curator: Tam Painé Ciai.
· «Water My Plant». Mestizo Arts Festival XI. Exhibitions and performances at wpZimmer (Antwerp), Tropicana (Brussels), Arenberg (Antwerp) and Mokkakapot (Antwerp), 2017. With Denise Lara Margules.
· «Biblioteca Pública». Club Cultural Matienzo, Buenos Aires, 2012
Group Exhibitions
· «Fool’s gold». Koresh 14 Gallery, Jerusalem, 2021. Curator: Dveer Shaked.
· «Equalizing Matter». Maamuta, Jerusalem, 2021. Curator: Irit Carmon Popper.
· «The Ararat Collective’s Guide to Surviving a Pandemic». Online exhibition, 2021.
· «Territorio LODO». Festival LODO, Buenos Aires, 2018.
· «Se Alquila / Estado». Centro Cultural Juan de Salazar, Asunción, Paraguay, 2016.
· «El cuerpo en el túnel». Centro Cultural Parque España, Rosario, Argentina, 2014. Curators: Leandro M. Depietri, Martina Amiras, Julia Filippone.
· «ArteBA 2012». Galería Costado, ArteBA Fair, Buenos Aires, 2012.
Performances & Interventions
· «Tor LaOman». Manofim Festival, Jerusalem, 2021. Curator: Hadassa Cohen.
· «What Happened Yesterday». Manofim Festival, Jerusalem, 2020. Curator: Moran Solomarsky.
· «Soulseek/2016». Club Cultural Matienzo, Buenos Aires, 2015. With Denise Lara Margules.
· «Day One». Festival Panorámica, Espacio Telefónica, Buenos Aires, 2013.
· «Ruptura y reconciliación a dos aguas». Club Cultural Matienzo, Buenos Aires, 2012.
· «Planta 2.0». Festival Óptica Buenos Aires, Casa de La Lectura, Buenos Aires, 2012.
· «Jardín Magnético 2.0». EMBA – Escuela de Música de Buenos Aires, 2009.
Residencies
· Maamuta, Jerusalem, 2021
· Kol HaOt, Jerusalem, 2021
· wpZimmer, Antwerp, 2016 & 2017
· KVS – Royal Flemish Theatre, Brussels, 2017
· Ha-Miffal, Jerusalem, 2017
· Asylum Arts Latin America, Casa Xitla, Ciudad de México, 2017
· Asylum Arts, Garrison Institute, New York, 2015 & 2016
Collaborations
· «Los Persas, una campaña desmesurada», with Baró-Cutró. Experiencia Hiedra, Buenos Aires, 2017
· “Emperatriz IV”, with Lolo y Lauti. CETC – Centro de Experimentación del Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, 2013
· “Emergencia del deseo”, with Belén Charpentier. Festival El Porvenir, Buenos Aires, 2015
· “Love will tear us apart”, with Maia Minovich. Club Cultural Matienzo, Buenos Aires, 2015
CURATING
· Seder e-Tarbut, online event supported by Asylum Arts and ROI Community, 2020
· Festival #Matienzo10años, CC Matienzo, 2018
· YoNoFui, «Imágenes Guardadas”, CC Matienzo, 2018
· “Afrovisibilidad”, CC Matienzo, 2018
· Santiago Orti, “Todo”, CC Matienzo, 2018
· Plinio Villagrán Galindo (Mexico), “E-III-3”, CC Matienzo, 2018
· K.A.K. (Belgium), “El penúltimo humano”, CC Matienzo, 2018
· Sebastián Hacher & Mariana Corral, “Restitución”, CC Matienzo, 2017
· Jejo Herrero, «Se deja ver», CC Matienzo, 2017
· Alejandro Quiñoa & WhoIsTesla?, «Los últimos dioses», CC Matienzo, 2017
· “Cemento, del under al indie, 1985-2016”, CC Matienzo, 2016.
· «LET IT VJ Festival», 16 editions, Buenos Aires, 2012-2016.
· Avital Burg, Yevgeniya Baras (USA) and others, “ööööööö”, CC Matienzo, 2016.
· “La primavera que no conocemos», CC Matienzo, 2016.
· Nacho Sánchez et al: «Periferia», CC Matienzo, 2015.
· Ángeles Ascúa, «Elegía», CC Matienzo, 2015.
· Lucas Dm, «Xn», CC Matienzo, 2015.
· Sonia Basch, «Amigos y personas que no conozco», CC Matienzo, 2015.
· Christiane Peschek (Austria) and Martín Bollati: «Fictions», CC Matienzo, 2015.
· Federico Lamas, «Banderas de conveniencia», CC Matienzo, 2014.
· COZA, «Cover/Un Piano Fantasma», CC Matienzo, 2014.
· Séverine Hubard (France), “Et que ca mousse», CC Matienzo, 2013.
· Fiëbre (Belgium), “Murga Belga: Una Europa Mestiza”, CC Matienzo, 2013.
· Aldana B. Espanto, “Music Non Stop”, CC Matienzo, 2013.
· “El otro castillo», CC Matienzo, 2012.
· Vero Gatti, «Hábitat», CC Matienzo, 2012
· Valentino Tettamanti, «Una birra pa’l horizonte», CC Matienzo, 2012
· Laurie Czech, «Bombones», CC Matienzo, 2012
· “LoFi Lulu”, CC Matienzo, 2011.
· Pablo Boffelli, “Esa idea no se sostiene”, CC Matienzo, 2011.
MANAGING
· Club Cultural Matienzo, Buenos Aires, 2008-2018. Co-Founder, Co-Director, Member of the Contents Board and Director of the Visual Arts Department.
· LET IT VJ Festival, Buenos Aires, 2012-2016. Co-Founder, Co-Director.
TEACHING
College & Workshops
· Associate Professor, Media and Digital Culture, Escuela de Fotografía Creativa Andy Goldstein, 2015-2016.
· Real-time visuals for photographers, Escuela de Fotografía Creativa Andy Goldstein, 2015.
· Laboratory for visual and extra-visual arts, Programa Artista-Gestor, 2012-2018.
· Seminar of Cultural Management and Communications. Fundación Lebensohn and Equipo Arte y Sociedad (CIDAC, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires), 2014 and 2015. Workshop: «Communicate growth»
Lectures & Presentations
· Conference: International Music Showcase Israel Online Festival, 2020. Round table: «Under The Radar. The rising of underground arts through social distancing». Moderator: Sara Maria Kordek, Poland.
· Seminario Internacional Políticas de la Memoria, Centro Cultural Haroldo Conti, Buenos Aires, 2017. Paper: «The Political Dimension of the Format: Experiences in Arts and Human Rights at Club Cultural Matienzo.»
· Open talk: «Shared Shapes: Collective initiatives in arts, culture and activism in Latin America, 1910-2017», HaMiffal, Jerusalem, 2017.
· Congress: «Re:Culture» Pulse Transitienetwerk Cultuur, Beursschouwburg, Brussels, 2016 Session: Culture and Cooperatives
· Seminar: «Communication in cultural institutions» Fundación PROA, Buenos Aires, 2014 Case Study: Club Cultural Matienzo
EDUCATION
College & University
· Professional Photography Escuela de Fotografía Creativa Andy Goldstein. 2003-2006
· Industrial Design Universidad de Buenos Aires. 2005-2009 (incomplete)
Seminars
· Art and the Nervous System. Professor Lars Bang Larsen. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. 2015
· Five Essays on the History of Latin American Art. Professor Santiago García Navarro. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. 2011
· Intensive Seminar on Curating. Professor Ana Paula Cohen. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. 2011
· Curating models and History of Exhibitions. Prof. Valeria González and Rodrigo Alonso. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. 2010
· Thinking and Photography. Prof. Bruno Dubner. Centro Cultural Rector Ricardo Rojas, Universidad de Buenos Aires. 2010 · Landscape Photography: urban space, private space. Prof. Ignacio Iasparra. Centro Cultural Rector Ricardo Rojas, Universidad de Buenos Aires. 2010
· Do curators dream of electric exhibitions? Prof. Santiago Villanueva. Centro de Investigaciones Artísticas. 2016
· Brasilian art in 1950/1960. Prof. Gonzalo Aguilar. Centro de Investigaciones Artísticas. 2011
· History and Theory of the Arts. Prof. Ana Longoni, José F. Vega and Victoria Noorthoorn. Centro de Investigaciones Artísticas. 2010
Workshops
· N.A.S.A. Arts clinic. Prof. Marcos Perearnau. Centro de Producción Artística – La Postura. 2015
· Music production. Prof. Nacho Sánchez Club Cultural Matienzo. 2014
· Videogame development. Prof. Agustín Pérez Fernández. Club Cultural Matienzo. 2014
· Video in DSLR Cameras. Prof. Ivo Aichenbaum. Club Cultural Matienzo. 2014
· Development of real-time visuals. Prof. Lucas DM. Club Cultural Matienzo. 2014
· Real-time drawing and animation. Prof. Mariana Rapallo. Club Cultural Matienzo. 2014
· Intervention and performance workshop. Prof. Laura Kalauz. Club Cultural Matienzo. 2012
· Production and development of artistic projects. Prof. Rosalía Celentano and Paula Baró. Club Cultural Matienzo. 2010
· Drawing. Prof. Mariana Sissia. Galería Formosa. 2011
· Painting. Prof. Paula Pogranizky. 2011
· Painting. Prof. Luz Peuscovich. 2010
· Arts clinic. Prof. Diana Aisenberg. 2008
COMMUNITIES
· Asylum Arts
· ROI Community