8 hours and a burden of art catalogues link Lower Manhattan and East Harlem
by Nicolás Dumit Estévez

The journey begins March 20, 2005 at 9 AM.
Reception as part of Open Studio Weekend- April 22; 6-10 PM
Both events take place at
120 Broadway, The Equitable Building

For the first journey, Estévez is heavily laden with donated art publications strapped to his back on a trip that takes him from the heart of the world’s financial capital to Spanish Harlem. On March 20 at 9 am, a departing blessing performed by noted performance artist Martha Wilson, Director of Franklin Furnace, launches the artist’s maiden voyage from the lobby of 120 Broadway in Lower Manhattan to El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th.  His estimated arrival time is 5 pm, just in time for a red wine reception celebrating Estévez’s arrival and marking the closing of the exhibition Retratos: 2,000 years of Latin American Portraits.  El Museo del Barrio’s Director Julián Zugazagoitia will commemorate the performance by signing Estévez’s passport at the opening.  

To find his exact location as the journey progresses, call 917-302-9492.

Estévez models his piece after the Catholic El Camino de Compostela in Spain, where devotees travel to the tomb of St James, staging a series of pilgrimages that reverse the relationship between art and religion. In this project, religion becomes a tool in the service of art as the artist endures journeys that begin in Lower Manhattan and conclude at several NYC museums. Passersby are encouraged to help him endure each penance and provide the artist with physical and moral support. They may offer to help him carry his backbreaking load of art catalogues or cheer him on as he travels on his knees to a museum. Alms collected during the journeys will be used to spread the word about the project. Upon completion of each penance, a passport-like credential is signed by the director of each institution or by an appointed official.

Several torturous pilgrimages enacted by Estévez were conceived as a part of Workspace.

If you can't join the journey, don't miss the party at LMCC/Workspace on April 22 from 6-10pm. The reception kicks off Open Studios Weekend, on April 23-24 from 12-6pm, where Estévez along with fellow resident artists share the work created in their studios with the public.

Presented in partnership with Franklin Furnace.