Event: Tertulia, The Talk Show

As part of the Royal Institute of Art’s Research Week, artist Carla Garlaschi and curator Olivia Berkowicz present Tertulia: The Talk Show at Index. The event is a re-imagination of a particular form of a Latin American cultural and social space, namely a tertulia. Participants include artists Lisa Tan, Martin Sastre, Alejandra Alarcon, Natalia Rebelo, Daphné Keramidas, Carla Garlaschi (aka. Princess Prada), and music producers HABIB1 and Ingrid Kempe.

Drawing on the symbolic realm of Carla Garlaschi’s practice, the evening will take the shape of a tertulia – an informal space for discussions of art, politics and philosophy. It is said that the term originated in the 16th Century, when King Philip II of Spain inaugurated a practice of commissioning philosophers and poets to create aural soundtracks for his art collection through poetry and text. As such, a tradition developed of tertulia, a learned discussion.

The practice of tertulias spread from the milieus of the Spanish royal court to Latin America during the colonial period, and developed its own unique and politicized characteristics. Known by their spontaneous and strictly oral spirit, gatherings would take place in cafés, bodegas or salons. Once marked by patriarchal structures, these events later developed into anarchist meetings, such as the feminist gatherings hosted by the Catalan dramatist Maria Aurèlia Capmany in Europe. The evening is drawing on the anarchist and feminist tradition of the tertulias, while also imagining anew what form these could take in contemporary society as a space for art and political discourse.

The evening will include poetry, music, readings, and performances by researchers from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. The event is hosted by Carla Garlaschi and accompanied by a special selection of cocktails developed for this particular event.

Please rsvp to rsvp@indexfoundation.se