ACCELERATOR
Daniela Rivera
Sobremesa (Karaoke Politics), 2019
Envisioned for the Boston neighborhood of Grove Hall, artist Daniela Rivera has created a platform for community discourse that invites community members and the public to step onto a stage of connected tables in order to challenge and traverse the symbolic boundaries of social expectations. Sobremesa (Karaoke Politics) creates an open space for public vulnerability, expression and equity, while standing in recognition of the great value that lies in difference.
The word and concept of sobremesa refers to a Pan-Hispanic cultural practice that was brought to the Americas by Spanish colonizers. Essentially, sobremesa is the act of stretching the time at the table after a meal - it is the time and space for conversation, the sharing of memories, the unveiling of information, This outdoor installation features twenty repurposed dining room tables that have been altered to create a joined and singular platform. The table-tops have been stained in different colors to emphasize their place as territories that exist within a larger map.
LOCATION
48 Geneva Avenue in Grove Hall, Boston, MA, 02121
ACCELERATOR
Daniela Rivera
Born in Santiago, Chile, Daniela received her BFA from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 1996. She went on to earn an MFA from SMFA/ Tufts University in 2006. She is currently an associate professor of Studio Art at Wellesley College and has directed the program since 2015.
In 2017, Daniela installed The Andes Inverted solo show at the MFA Boston. The project transformed the architecture of the exhibition space and developed further her mode of approaching painting. This project was transformative and radically affected the way she produces work. For the creation of the project, Daniela conducted a series of interviews that made her travel and engage with a community. Her last solo exhibition, installed in August 2018 at the Davis Museum, Fragmentos para una historia del olvido/ Fragments for a history of displacement, involves interviews as well and close work with the larger community of Latino immigrants to the US. Her museum installations often focus on uncanny spatial and material dislocations. Breaking from the traditional mold of painting, she creates fully environmental and immersive experiences that draw from her personal history. Daniela’s work has also been shown around the United States and other locations in Latin America.