Oliver Krug meets the director of Chile’s newest gallery, which has taken off at a former airport in Santiago
Santiago’s abandoned airport Los Cerrillos has been newly transformed into the National Centre for Contemporary Art.
Built on land donated to the government in 1928 by the American philanthropist Daniel Guggenheim, Los Cerrillos was a symbol of democratisation and modernisation until it closed in 2006.
In 2016 the 4,000 sq m building was transferred to the National Council of Culture and the Arts, the government department dedicated to culture. The former airport has now reopened as an art gallery, to house the government’s contemporary art collection.
The original art deco airport building was extended in 1957 and the exterior was given a makeover – the Mural de los Cóndores, or Mural of the Condors, by Samuel Román Rojas and his son Héctor Román Latorre. The enamelled blue tiles, with rows of condors carved in relief, have been restored and illuminated, and are strikingly in keeping with the original building.
It is fitting that such a significant structure will house the country’s first government- run contemporary arts centre. The centre aims to support the production of contemporary art in Chile with research, archive work, conservation, a temporary exhibition programme and an education initiative involving communities up and down Chile.
Varinia Brodsky, the programme manager for the National Council of Culture and the Arts, has led the transformation of the building. Here, she talks about the importance of contemporary art and its future in Chile.
The reopening of Los Cerillos as the National Centre for Contemporary Art has been a moment of national importance. Varinia Brodsky: Yes, Chile had ignored the importance and value of its contemporary art for a long time and the opening of the centre is a turning point. The government hadn’t invested in the visual arts. There was a lack of places to show art, and to encounter and investigate contemporary work. Finally the vacuum has been filled.
What is on show at the former airport?
The building is home to the contemporary art collection of the National Council of Culture and the Arts, and to the works currently housed in the Galeria Gabriela Mistral [in central Santiago]. The latter is especially important, as the public hasn’t had the chance to encounter that collection in its entirety. It’s an outstanding collection of predominantly Chilean contemporary art from the 1990s to the present day.
It’s a unique way of finding out about the recent art history of our country. And of course there are special exhibitions and events.
Departure gates, corridors, waiting rooms, luggage belts. How will you organise the space?
Transforming the space into a centre for the arts has been a unique opportunity to start from scratch. The first thing we did was to invite artists to walk around the entire space with us. We looked at it as a blank canvas and have actively stayed away from traditional models of exhibition making. We settled for one main space for larger exhibitions; the majority will be kept as undefined spaces that can change and be transformed by artists, workshops and events.
What about the airport runways?
They are now in the process of being transformed into public parks. They will also provide an opportunity to show art and put on events outside the building.
What will the centre offer to young people?
The education outreach programme is crucial. Cerrillos is not a central city area. So to start with, the project grants access to art for a whole area that wouldn’t usually be in reach of an inner-city museum. It’s an important step in a process of decentralisation that is taking place in Chile now. We have talked to schools, nurseries and the entire educational system to make sure there are strong connections from day one.
The visual arts had sunk very low in importance in the national curriculum and we are aiming to change that. Above all we are giving a practical and very hands-on experience of contemporary art. So we are less focused on a contemplative visit to the museum, more on an active encounter with artists.
What sort of reception have you had from the local communities?
The reactions have been overwhelmingly positive so far and there is a great interest in engaging and participating. But low visitor numbers at other museums are evidence that the country has become a consumer-dominated society which has found itself in crisis, disconnected from its cultural foundations. It’s a collective effort to turn this around now.
Will the centre be entirely state funded? And is it free to visit?
Yes, access is free, not only to the main space, but also to special exhibitions and workshops. We want the widest possible public access, so the gallery has to be free. Funding is provided by the state. This is a public project by the country and for the country.
To what extent will academic research be a part of Los Cerillos?
Research will be another important focus. We are creating a library, viewing rooms for artistic investigations, an extensive digital archive and documentation centre, as well as a storage warehouse and research laboratories. We are giving the academic art community in Chile a new home.
Most importantly, the building will act as a bridge. Like the airport it was before, we hope it will be a great unifier, a connector and a place for all sorts of encounters. If academic language has created a barrier between a general audience and art specialists in the past, we want to use this opportunity to break it down. This will be one of the new centre’s most important contributions to the country.
Project data
Cost £1.9m ($149m Chilean pesos)
Main funders Government of Chile; National Council for Culture and the Arts
Architects Humberto Eliash; Sebastian Lambiasi; Tomás Westenenk
Exhibition design Felipe Berguño
Graphic design National Council of Culture and the Arts
Installation National Council of Culture and the Arts
Contractors Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning
Lighting Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning
Exhibition ends Transit, to 14 May
Admission Free
Oliver Krug is a freelance writer
Santiago’s abandoned airport Los Cerrillos has been newly transformed into the National Centre for Contemporary Art.
Built on land donated to the government in 1928 by the American philanthropist Daniel Guggenheim, Los Cerrillos was a symbol of democratisation and modernisation until it closed in 2006.
In 2016 the 4,000 sq m building was transferred to the National Council of Culture and the Arts, the government department dedicated to culture. The former airport has now reopened as an art gallery, to house the government’s contemporary art collection.
The original art deco airport building was extended in 1957 and the exterior was given a makeover – the Mural de los Cóndores, or Mural of the Condors, by Samuel Román Rojas and his son Héctor Román Latorre. The enamelled blue tiles, with rows of condors carved in relief, have been restored and illuminated, and are strikingly in keeping with the original building.
It is fitting that such a significant structure will house the country’s first government- run contemporary arts centre. The centre aims to support the production of contemporary art in Chile with research, archive work, conservation, a temporary exhibition programme and an education initiative involving communities up and down Chile.
Varinia Brodsky, the programme manager for the National Council of Culture and the Arts, has led the transformation of the building. Here, she talks about the importance of contemporary art and its future in Chile.
The reopening of Los Cerillos as the National Centre for Contemporary Art has been a moment of national importance. Varinia Brodsky: Yes, Chile had ignored the importance and value of its contemporary art for a long time and the opening of the centre is a turning point. The government hadn’t invested in the visual arts. There was a lack of places to show art, and to encounter and investigate contemporary work. Finally the vacuum has been filled.
What is on show at the former airport?
The building is home to the contemporary art collection of the National Council of Culture and the Arts, and to the works currently housed in the Galeria Gabriela Mistral [in central Santiago]. The latter is especially important, as the public hasn’t had the chance to encounter that collection in its entirety. It’s an outstanding collection of predominantly Chilean contemporary art from the 1990s to the present day.
It’s a unique way of finding out about the recent art history of our country. And of course there are special exhibitions and events.
Departure gates, corridors, waiting rooms, luggage belts. How will you organise the space?
Transforming the space into a centre for the arts has been a unique opportunity to start from scratch. The first thing we did was to invite artists to walk around the entire space with us. We looked at it as a blank canvas and have actively stayed away from traditional models of exhibition making. We settled for one main space for larger exhibitions; the majority will be kept as undefined spaces that can change and be transformed by artists, workshops and events.
What about the airport runways?
They are now in the process of being transformed into public parks. They will also provide an opportunity to show art and put on events outside the building.
What will the centre offer to young people?
The education outreach programme is crucial. Cerrillos is not a central city area. So to start with, the project grants access to art for a whole area that wouldn’t usually be in reach of an inner-city museum. It’s an important step in a process of decentralisation that is taking place in Chile now. We have talked to schools, nurseries and the entire educational system to make sure there are strong connections from day one.
The visual arts had sunk very low in importance in the national curriculum and we are aiming to change that. Above all we are giving a practical and very hands-on experience of contemporary art. So we are less focused on a contemplative visit to the museum, more on an active encounter with artists.
What sort of reception have you had from the local communities?
The reactions have been overwhelmingly positive so far and there is a great interest in engaging and participating. But low visitor numbers at other museums are evidence that the country has become a consumer-dominated society which has found itself in crisis, disconnected from its cultural foundations. It’s a collective effort to turn this around now.
Will the centre be entirely state funded? And is it free to visit?
Yes, access is free, not only to the main space, but also to special exhibitions and workshops. We want the widest possible public access, so the gallery has to be free. Funding is provided by the state. This is a public project by the country and for the country.
To what extent will academic research be a part of Los Cerillos?
Research will be another important focus. We are creating a library, viewing rooms for artistic investigations, an extensive digital archive and documentation centre, as well as a storage warehouse and research laboratories. We are giving the academic art community in Chile a new home.
Most importantly, the building will act as a bridge. Like the airport it was before, we hope it will be a great unifier, a connector and a place for all sorts of encounters. If academic language has created a barrier between a general audience and art specialists in the past, we want to use this opportunity to break it down. This will be one of the new centre’s most important contributions to the country.
Project data
Cost £1.9m ($149m Chilean pesos)
Main funders Government of Chile; National Council for Culture and the Arts
Architects Humberto Eliash; Sebastian Lambiasi; Tomás Westenenk
Exhibition design Felipe Berguño
Graphic design National Council of Culture and the Arts
Installation National Council of Culture and the Arts
Contractors Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning
Lighting Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning
Exhibition ends Transit, to 14 May
Admission Free
Oliver Krug is a freelance writer