Belgian Murga: a mestizo Europe
By Fiëbre (BE)
Matienschön 2012. Curators: Agustín Jais, Laura Preger, Martina Amiras.
Fiëbre is a cultural platform active in Antwerp by initiative of the Argentine artist and producer Gerardo Salinas. The collective initiated the Murga movement in the country, and created the annual festival MAF, short for Mestizo Arts Festival, a platform for diversity and exchange.
The exhibition traced the history of the fascinating Murga movement, started in 2006. The initiative brought the popular artform of the Murga, born in the Rio de la Plata (Argentina/Uruguay), as a response to the deep social fractures in the Belgian society. The initiative grew to form dozens of murga collectives all over the country, as community projects integrating dance, theatre, music and lyrics.
Alongside the exhibition, MAF Festival hosted a night of music and videoart in Buenos Aires, and launched the open call for the Videoart Residency in Belgium, produced in collaboration between Fiëbre and Matienschön.