On the occasion of the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of the journalist and cultural promoter Sofía Imber, an extensive program will be carried out that includes exhibitions, the presentation of the play “La Señora Imber” and the reissue of the book “El Museo de Sofia. A Different Museum”, taking the spaces of the UCAB Cultural Center, the Trasnocho Cultural and the D’Museo gallery of the Los Galpones Art Center.
The exhibitions that will be held within the framework of this programming will be exhibited in three different spaces starting May 8, 2024, and as explained by the curator and researcher of visual arts, María Luz Cárdenas, “they are outlined under the museumization approach of characters, their contributions and their historical value. The objective is to provide a perspective of the importance, influence and contributions of Sofía to the cultural development and projection of Venezuelan art, through her journalistic and institutional work, especially the Sofía Imber Museum of Contemporary Art and the promotion of arts and artists in the years of the entry of modernity in Venezuela.”
In the words of María Luz Cárdenas, “The exhibition model attempts to reconstruct the world of the character through elements that do not necessarily have the center of attention in works of art, but extends to documents, manuscripts, correspondences, bibliographic material or images, whose solution in space focuses on the use of technologies, means of projection or presentation of documents, works from its Private Collection and iconography from the perspective of the artists (portraits, caricatures, drawings).”
In this sense, on May 8 at 11:00 am, in the Sofía Imber Room of the UCAB Cultural Center, the permanent exhibition “Sofia Imber 100 years. In context” with a chronology in drawings and photographs, in an event in which the relaunch of the Sofía Imber and Carlos Rangel Foundation Chair will be held, as well as the Sofía Imber Room, inaugurated in 2014, and which has a valuable collection of books donated by Sofía Imber, as well as an exhibition area where you can enjoy various exhibitions.
Likewise, starting May 8, a selection of posters will be exhibited at the El Buscón del Trasnocho Cultural Bookstore, under the title “Sofía Imber 100 years. Tribute”, which will remain until the end of the month.
On May 9, the exhibition project will continue with an exhibition titled “Sofía Imber 100 years. Inhabiting memory”, which will be inaugurated at 4:00 pm in the D’Museo gallery of the Los Galpones Art Center. The exhibition proposes an immersive reading in an installation where the environment that surrounded Sofía Imber is recreated, accompanied by a presentation of five videos about the MACCSI, the Collection, her work in journalism, her personal and family life, and an interactive video with artificial intelligence. In addition, the mural at the entrance to the Los Galpones Art Center will be dedicated to the exhibition.
As part of the commemorative programming, the play “La Señora Imber” will be staged at Trasnocho Cultural, from May 8 to 26, a monologue starring Julie Restifo, based on the book of the same name written by journalist Diego Arroyo Gil about the life of Sofía Imber. With the adaptation and theatrical direction of Javier Vidal, the piece will be presented on Fridays at 6:00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00 pm, with tickets on sale at www.ticketmundo.com.ve and at the theater box office.
The Freites Gallery joins the celebration of this centenary with the reissue of the book “The Sofia Museum. A Different Museum”, a publication that records the artistic legacy of this important character in Venezuelan cultural life.
It should be noted that the commemoration of the Sofia Imber Centennial will extend until May 2025 with new exhibitions, forums and reflections on her contribution to the cultural development of the country, with the institutional support of the Polar Foundation and Banesco, and the organization of a Committee made up of Adriana Meneses, Imelda Cisneros and Caroline Oteyza.
Sofía Imber (1924-2017) was born in Romania and when she was six years old she moved to Venezuela with her parents. She studied journalism in Caracas and developed an outstanding work as a journalist in the country. Likewise, she stood out as an art promoter by founding the Sofía Imber Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas (MACCSI) in 1974, which she directed for almost three decades, and where a permanent collection of around four thousand works is exhibited, considered the best collection of contemporary art in Latin America. Throughout his career he received multiple national and international recognitions, including the National Prize for Journalism, the National Prize for Plastic Arts, the Order of the Liberator, the Picasso Medal awarded to UNESCO, the Order of Isabel la Católica (Spain). , Legion of Honor (France), Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle (Mexico), among others.
Press release
