How Photography Thinks
For the sixth consecutive year, in this 20th-anniversary edition of Pinta BAphoto 2024, the masterclass "How Photography Thinks" will be offered by architect and artist Vivian Galban.
This will be a free and open online presentation that will use a case study methodology to explore how photography becomes a medium for conveying, highlighting, and reflecting on the challenges of contemporary times. Through the analysis of photographic works and proposals, the class will investigate how images are transformed into tools for critical thinking and social commentary.
Two key events in the international art scene will serve as reference points: Rencontres d’Arles in France 2024 and the Venice Biennale 2024 in Italy.
In both cases, the class will analyze how statements, exhibition setups, media, and photographic works align to communicate ideological narratives, addressing political and social issues from a critical perspective.
This masterclass is aimed at those who wish to understand how photography, beyond the visual, becomes a powerful device for thinking and articulating contemporary reality.
This initiative is led by Pinta BAphoto in collaboration with Zurich.
As part of its 60th anniversary in Argentina, Zurich – Local Lead Partner of Pinta BAphoto – reaffirms its commitment to Pinta BAphoto, as a demonstration of its ongoing support for the country’s art and culture, understanding it as a fundamental pillar for the care and well-being of people.
Date: Wednesday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m. (ARG) | 5:00 p.m. (MIAMI)
Free and open activity. Limited spots available.
To participate in the Zoom session, please complete the following form
Vivian Galban (1969, Argentina) She lives and works in Buenos Aires.
She is an architect and artist specializing in contemporary photography. She is represented by Rolf Art Gallery in Buenos Aires and Lala Contemporary in Toronto. She studied architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Buenos Aires (1993), holds a postgraduate degree in Conservation and Restoration of Architectural Heritage from the same institution (1996), and specialized in silvering techniques at the Penumbra Foundation in New York (2018).
Galban's practice expands through research on photography as a medium, questioning both the medium itself and contemporary photographic processes. Regarding her academic work, she focuses on applied technology, and her role as an educator and architect is an integral part of her artistic research. She has conducted workshops and seminars at Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires (2018), the Photography Center of Montevideo (2017), the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires (2014-2016), and the Recoleta Cultural Center in Buenos Aires (2015).
She is currently the head of the Department of Aesthetics, Art, and Contemporary Culture at the Institute of Photographic Art and Audiovisual Techniques of the National University of Avellaneda, in the province of Buenos Aires. In the early years of her career, she founded the first Interactive Multimedia Development Agency: MediaLab Argentina, based in both Buenos Aires and Mexico City (1996–2010). She was also the executive director of the first 3D Modeling and Design Center (1994–1996).
In 2021, she was part of the group exhibition Rethink Everything, curated by Andrea Giunta at Les Rencontres de la Photographie Festival, Arles. In 2019, she held her solo exhibition Real Time Exhibition (2019-2020), curated by Alfredo Aracil and Leandro Villaro at Rolf Art Gallery, Buenos Aires. Among her other solo exhibitions are Valley of the Yosemite, from the Rocky Ford, 1872 at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires (MACBA), curated by Teresa Riccardi (2016); No sabemos lo que puede hacer un cuerpo, curated by Valeria González at Rolf Art Gallery (2013-2014); Performance Tiempo Real at Paris Photo Fair, France (2023); and Fundación Lariviere, curated by Raúl Flores (2024).