Keynote Address

The keynote address was held Thursday, October 21, 2010 at the Glenn Gould Studio at the CBC, followed by a reception. Printmaking is plagued with contradictions: the tension between its technical and conceptual aspects; the possibilities of infinite reproduction that are voluntarily limited in the edition; the entrenchment within medium specificity (has anyone heard of a painter’s convention?) as opposed to considering print as one more tool that artists have at hand. These and other issues—and strategies to bypass them—were be considered by José Roca in his keynote speech.

Keynote Speaker: José Roca

Photo by Adriana Hurtado

Keynote speaker José Roca is a Colombian curator working out of Bogotá and Philadelphia, where he is currently Artistic Director of Philagrafika 2010. He is also the Curator of the 8th Mercosul Biennial. Previously, he managed the arts program at the Banco de la República in Bogotá for a decade, establishing it as one of the most respected institutions in Latin America. Roca has extensive international experience as an independent curator and writer, including co-curatorial roles for the San Juan Poly/Graphic Triennial (2004); the 27th São Paulo Biennial (2006); MDE07, the Encuentro de Medellín (2007); and Cart[ajena], a series of urban interventions in Cartagena, Colombia (2007). Roca also served on the awards jury for the 52nd Venice Biennial (2007). Toronto audiences may be familiar with Roca as the curator of Imprints for a Fleeting Memorial, a survey of work by Oscar Muñoz, which showed at Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art and YYZ Artists’ Outlet in early 2008.