Iván Argote: The Other, Me and the Others Iván Argote

The interactive installation Iván Argote: The Other, Me and the Others occupies the free span under MASP - Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand starting on April 10. This is the first exhibition held by the museum in the free span after the space was granted to the Museum.

The 74-meter-long free span was designed by the architect Lina Bo Bardi as a civic square, a meeting place for various cultural events such as dance, theater, music, and circus, as well as interactive and educational exhibitions. The work of Iván Argote (Bogotá, Colombia, 1983) reinforces the purpose of the space by proposing an interactive installation made up of two mobile platforms placed at the ends of the space, transforming it into a field for sensory and social experimentation.

The work functions as a large seesaw that tilts as visitors walk around, reflecting the dynamics of balance and collective movement. When a single person moves, the balance remains almost unchanged; however, collective action can completely redefine the inclination of the platform, which tilts to one side or the other. The most complex situation occurs when the participants distribute their weight evenly and achieve a state of stability.

Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director, MASP, and assisted by Matheus de Andrade, Curatorial Assistant, MASP, the installation proposes new interpretations of public space, urban interventions and power structures. Iván Argote’s seesaws challenge the idea of monuments – symbols of collective memory and history – by transforming public space into an open playground: a meeting place that encourages coexistence, dialogue and interaction within the community.