From today until Wednesday, the Rainbow Room of the Casino Magic Hotel is and will be the scene of a cultural meeting. On those days, between 4 and midnight, the 1st Neuquén and Río Negro Book and Arts Festival takes place, with free admission, which brings together 15 bookstores from the region, writers, musicians, and plastic artists. It is, say the organizers, “a space of resistance to the reality in our country and our region.”
The writer and member of the board of directors of the Conrado Cultural, Hernán Riveiro, organizer of this meeting together with Gustavo Baeza, explains that the origin of this meeting is “in the national and regional situation. There is a Plottier bookstore that has already closed, and in Neuquén, all the ones that remain sell much less. That situation, plus the permanent attacks on cultural manifestations by the national government, emboldened us to make this proposal. “We want to respond to attacks on culture with more culture, with more cultural manifestations in every place we can.”
“It is a form of resistance, although it may seem strange in this space,” says Riveiro, who admits that it caused him some tension that the place chosen was the Magic casino. But he explains it like this: “Just as we go to schools to give talks, to present books, to give workshops in community centers, it also seemed like a good opportunity for us to be here, at the Casino, to reach a new audience. It made me uncomfortable at first, but if tensions arise, so much the better. It is good that debates, tensions, ideas arise,” he says.
The proposal, which began today at ten in the morning It includes not only book sales but also presentations, art exhibitions, photography exhibitions, live painting, recitals on the main stage.
“The activity arises by bringing two things together. On the one hand, the people of the Magic casino had agreed with the Buenos Aires psychiatrist, Luisa Kremer, to present her book “Who wants to heal.” On the other hand, some booksellers were interested in organizing activities related to their trade. After that step, I joined. So, we proposed a book festival, something related to book sales, with presentations and conversations, but combined with the participation of artists from the region. And taking advantage of the fact that the infrastructure conditions are very good, we proposed that there be live music, photography, live painting, theatrical expressions. And so we added artistic activities to generate the link between everyone.
Everyone’s expectation is that people join. “We know that they are weekdays and that it is the beginning of the month, but we hope that the public attends. The variety of book offerings and stands is wide, and we hope you come to share, to generate income for book-selling families, and to be able to generate and sustain spaces like this. Generating spaces like this are in themselves a reward.”
The programming of the 1st Festival of Books and Arts
More than 15 bookstores in the Alto Valle have their stands: Libracos, Terra Patagonia books, El Librero, Severio Teatro books, Neuquén, Apolo Editions, Double Z Editions, Arte Raíz Coop. Cultural, Más Neuquén Magazine, Laberinto, Book Supermarket, Raíces, Kitchen Bookstore, Mil Hojas, Vision.
Annexes: Plastic arts exhibition: Guadalupe Rojas, Ivana Jamed, Julia Meso Ramírez, Néstor Lerhnert, Germán Braschi, Soledad Goncevatt.
Exhibition of iron sculptures by José Raffo
Photography exhibition: Carlos Martínez «Astro» (Cutral-Có)
Monday’s schedule
16: Dr. Luisa Kremer: Who wants to be cured? Book Release.
17 David Cual: From pages to processes: books transform and shape our lives. Chat.
18 Germán Gorosito & Devra: Saddleries and other poems/The voice of the shadow – Horacio Bascuñán.
18.30 Book presentation.
19 Montanaro, Sánchez, Aguiar Burgos, Abatte, Chávez: A d10s in Patagonia – Maradona in Neuquén and Río Negro. Book Release.
19.30 Nestor Mazzoni. Music. Live recital.
Guadalupe Rojas. Live painting.
20 Juan Guardela, Colombian writer and cultural manager. Streaming talk.
20.30 Lucio Pugni – ENERC Patagonia Norte: dissemination of audiovisual and conversational material.
22 Youth Chamber Orchestra of the Cultural Foundation of the South. Director: Jorge Larrigaudiere
22.30 Live music.
Tuesday’s program
16: Bruno Sobarzo: comic El Centurión. Presentation.
17: Daniel Vico: The social construction of the word. Dissertation.
18: Carolina Savid: The value of a woman. Presentation of the book.
18.30: Graciela Ríos Lobos presents the two books: Wounded Women” and “Love After Love”
19: Ricardo Koon: Ernest Hemingway: a life. Conference and book presentation.
20: Patricia Bobadilla Guerrero: I am René, unauthorized biography of a little penguin. Book Release.
8:30 p.m.: Jimena Fernández & Laura Lafuente: Art and health. Book presentation and experiential experience.
9:30 p.m.: Eel Alan Del BH. Music. Live recital.
22: David Cual: Pages that transform: the power that reading brings to our personal development.
10:30 p.m.: Rodrigo Tarruella & Jorge Abella: Celebrate 7 years of the program “That’s another story,” on AM 1400 Cumbre. Presentation and live program. Topic: Zainuco
Wednesday’s schedule
16 Delivery of participant diplomas and recognition of cultural work in the region.
17 Alicia Castaños: Witnesses of the soul. Book Release.
18 Asución Matus: conversations with poetry. Staging and direction: Vilma Chiodín
18.30 Assistant: Elizabeth Garro Music: Gustaco Quaglia. Percussion: Andrés Ciruzzi
19 Emiliano Sapag: Neuquén Quimey: heroes and heroines of our land. Interview by Sergio Vera.
20 Carla Rojkind: Mom wanted me to be Miss Universe. Book Release.
20.30 Santiago Rosa: Books, stories and mysteries of Patagonia. Conversation.
21 Germán Gorosito & Devra: Rock in Patagonia Book presentation and live music.
22 Galia Guerrero-Artemisa Communication: screening of regional video clips. Conversation.
22.30 Chiva Music: live recital.
