Following the Sun. Second edition

Sound Experiments, Performance Formats and New Situations

Taking as its starting point the contemporary mythology derived from the Antoni Tàpies piece Mitjó [Sock] (2010)—which we understand as a gesture of disobedience and irony, a celebration of the downtrodden and marginalised—the second edition of the series Following the Sun aims to give rise to new performative dialogues with other bodies and identities, creating frictions with societal normativity:

The liberation attained by artists over the last one-hundred years needs not lead us to deny the possibility of accepting other proposals, beliefs, philosophies or cultures, when considered more appropriate for modern mentality. Particularly because it is precisely due to this liberation and independence that we might really learn to respect—I do not like the term tolerate, as will be explained further on—and value all these human manifestations aforementioned, as they rightly deserve, whether coming from our own tradition or from other civilisations. From out of this liberty, we will more readily and unbiasedly be able to convene a grand forum where the voices of all cultures might be heard and where all proposals have their place. Most especially, we will no longer hold to the belief that this tiny bastion we call “Western civilisation” has been something exceptional.

Excerpt from Antoni Tàpies “La imaginació del món” [The Imagination of the World]

The avant-garde always opted for gestures that revealed a certain introspection in relation to the reverberations and possibilities of our actions, words and daily belongings. The work Mitjó, conceived in 1991 and produced and installed in 2010 on the terrace of the Museu Tàpies, is truly a summary of these attitudes of “liberation”—citing Tàpies—that come about through collectivised discomfort and disobedience. What happens when we carry out gestures that are unexpected and unusual, when we impact contexts we “should not”?

From the understanding of Mitjó as an effigy and symbol of marginalisation, this series is conceived as a pagan ritual, inviting nine artists to venerate this object and activate it with new narratives that pertain to creators’ realities. How does the queer body influence society, in visual and positional terms? Why are certain bodies considered disruptive, provocative, polemical or inferior? How might we learn to find greater enjoyment from what is extravagant and ignored?

Following the Sun is an extended solstice, a celebratory menstrual cycle, an offering to the Museu Tàpies as a place of encounter, friction and action. The series seeks to bring together various voices that create by speaking from marginalisation, struggle and resistance, yet also in a celebratory way, with a playful spirit. With a clear idea that avant-garde approaches are as alive as ever, these performance and sound activations are drawn from queer, decolonial, dissident and anti-authoritarian realities, all of which are resonant in the philosophy of Tàpies regarding the flight from the West and the creativity unfolding in the gesture of Mitjó, which continues to unsettle and shake the normativity.

The programme of the second edition of Following the Sun has been curated by Gabriel Virgilio Luciani. The graphic design of the programme and solar navigation calendar were created by designers Ignasi Ayats and Ana Habash. The illustrations are by Eduard Sales.

Gabriel Virgilio Luciani is a curator and professor of Art History based in Barcelona. Their research revolves around the intersection of queer theory, magic, decoloniality, poetry and objectual affectivity. From 2017 to 2019, alongside their studies in Fine Arts at Escola Massana, they were the curator of the self-run space, CERA 13; a radical experimental laboratory in Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood. In 2020, they obtained their Masters Degree in Digital Art Curatorship at the Universitat Ramon Llull – ESDi, in Barcelona, during which they collaborated with the gallery Dilalica. From 2021 to 2024, they were editor-in-chief of exibart.es, a contemporary culture magazine covering art exhibitions, biennials, fairs and festivals that also features interviews with artists, curators and institutional directors. Currently, they are Head of Programs and Academia of Metàfora Studio Arts, an international contemporary art education platform located in Barcelona.

Over the last nine years their curated exhibitions have been presented in programmes such as Art Nou and Loop Barcelona videoart festival. They have also curated and co-curated projects at THEFLOOR, CERA 13, TKM Room, Escola Massana, àngels barcelona – espai 2, Tangent Projects, L&B gallery, Galeria H2O, Reial Cercle Artístic (as a guest curator for the 1+1+1 Loop curated edition), Espai Souvenir and Mèdol – Centre d’Arts Contemporànies de Tarragona, amongst others.

Programmed Sessions

Saturday 22 March, at 1 pm: Amaru “Personaje Personaje” Peña

Saturday 12 April, at 1 pm: Agnes Essonti Luque

Saturday 17 May, at 1 pm: feyfeyfey

Saturday 14 June, at 7 pm: Adrasha

Saturday 12 July, at 7 pm: laSADCUM Guillem Jiménez

Saturday 20 September, at 7 pm: Sejal Parekh

Saturday 18 October, at 1 pm: Venus Jasper

Saturday 15 November, at 1 pm: Bella Báguena

Saturday 13 December, at 1 pm: Silvia Albert Sopale