Corazones distantes

Distant hearts. Clouded, overlapping, diffuse hearts. Hearts in contrast. In this production, there is a latent quest to problematize—even if from complementary or opposing roles—the contemporary state of relational dynamics and how it has been reshaped by the new social paradigms introduced by advancements in science, art, and technology.

Technical, aesthetic, and conceptual development

Certainly, modes of artistic production have shifted with the arrival of the new millennium. Specifically, starting from the “democratization” of mass media, acclaimed social networks, streaming platforms, and the massification of information, the way we relate to one another has changed—not only regarding art, but also within our personal bonds.

Having passed the first quarter-century in the era of globalization and immediacy, it becomes essential to think of artistic producers as coordinators and creators of those social micro-situations that Brea so meticulously anticipates.

An artist who wishes to be recognized as such cannot evade the public’s urgent need to belong to a community—a tribe in which to feel included, identifying with a shared connection to the same affects and concepts.

And it is at this exact point where tangible reality collides with the virtual. At the moment where the construction of an audience stems from the individual impulse to declare oneself present—long before even asking if the work interpellates them or not—and when the crowd’s attendance is driven by the mechanics of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) rather than a genuine affinity for the artist and their work.

What kind of community are we talking about, exactly? If behind it there is only the drive to jump on the latest wave, which, after two weeks, will be replaced by the next trend. Are we truly present at the events we attend to “connect”? Is there a degree of active experience toward artists and their creations? Or does the enjoyment of the work blur until it eventually degrades into mere stimulus?

This entire disconnect of the absent masses is replicated in the image through countless random, underexposed, blurred, and overlapping hearts. Together, they form a background that seems perpetually unaware of its own participation.

“Nothing that takes the form of the calculated negation of itself does anything other than overtly prepare the alibi of fulfilled commitment, anticipating the moment of its integrated absorption.” — Jorge Luis Brea

Could there then briefly exist a practice that denies its own environment as a way to entrench itself within its own void? Can a work integrate into its own contradictions until it dissolves into its medium?

Yes, evolution is inevitable. But in which direction are we meant to evolve? Do the productions integrated into this immaterial system actually wish to be a part of it? If the purpose of new networks is to break away from traditional commercial structures through a framework of distribution characterized by “free use,” does the creation of relevant channels of circulation simply impose an old mold with new dimensions? Would it be extreme to say that artistic practices have not abandoned institutional structures, but rather rebranded their names and standards, while their hierarchies and conditions remain unchanged in their concentration?

If there is a path forward, I dare to envision its direction toward a necessary connection with the material—or rather, the earthly. The overwhelming supply of identification, informational, entertainment, and even artistic discourses creates a deceptive illusion of closeness and community. Of course, dissemination works, but it will always be the medium, never the end in itself.

It must necessarily be accompanied by an earthly presence, minimally true unto itself. Is this return to the environment and its objects what releases the authentic expression of these practices? Or, in the worst-case scenario, are they bound to their two-dimensional nature?

Without going any further: would this text hold any meaning without this moment of exposure, or even exist without this file?

Any artistic practice that seeks to convey something beyond mere consumption—which listeners will forget sooner rather than later—must inevitably be conceived through an approach to real, humanly tangible experiences, rooted in a connection outside the network.

Bibliography

• Jorge Luis Brea. (2008). “Redefinición de las prácticas artísticas (s. 21)” en El tercer umbral. Estatuto de las prácticas artísticas en la era del capitalismo cultural. Murcia: CENDEAC.

Brief resume

Natasha Barria is a multimedia artist, composer, musical performer, and producer of cultural and audiovisual events.

Originally from Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, she moved to Buenos Aires at age 18 to launch her professional career, taking her first step by enrolling in the Bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Arts at the UNA (Universidad Nacional de las Artes).

Deeply influenced by the city’s sociocultural dynamics, the euphoric volatility of its changing lifestyles, and the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual transformation she was almost forced to undergo to adapt to her new environment, she develops her path in the field independently, supported by the West Zone’s self-managed artistic community.

Across the various formats of her work, her primary stylistic pursuit centers on expressing vulnerability and sensitivity—striving to mirror an essential fragment of her own experiences, with the hope that a third party might find a message within that offers comfort and accompanies a part of themselves.