Jesús Rafael Soto
Soto’s Penetrable (1990) interest lies more in challenging conventions within the art world. Similarly to Oiticica, the artwork relies upon the participant to define the inherent value of the artwork. In fact it could be argued that the experience of the person as they enter the artwork, which consumes them in constantly moving strands of colour, is the actual artwork. This inversion of the power dynamic between artist and audience replicates a subversion of the colonial power dynamic suggested in Anthropophagy and challenges the elitism of the art world which had been fostered through the pre-modern fascination with academic art. At this stage Soto is able to draw upon a Latin American canon of art (i.e. Joaquín Torres-García and his conception of the Indigenous ‘grid’ or Armando Reveron’s depiction of Venezuelan light as blinding) which reaffirms its unique identity. This canon could only be produced after the Latin American artist committed to consuming the Western canon where necessary, redefining it, and subverting it to make it a tool in creating a unique Latin American identity. What is also important is how it broadens the scope of the audience. Engaging with the idea of public art, art which is not constrained to gallery spaces, means that the exploration of identity occurring in the art world can extend more broadly. The artwork itself then acts in an almost utopian fashion, equalising the participants and offering them all the license to determine the meaning and value of the artwork. It does not matter if the participant is an art critic or a child simply enjoying the space, as the artwork is made with public consumption at its heart both people act on the same level. This is strengthened by the history of public art in Pre-Colombian times alongside the work of modern Mexican muralists such as Diego Rivera. This reaffirms Soto’s ability to further disassociate with colonial power dynamics and create an artwork unique to the Latin American art world.