CCS Juan de Salazar, Asunción

Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre of Spain, in Asunción

The Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre (JSCC), also known as “el Salazar” or “el Juande”, is the longestestablished of all the Centres among the Network created by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). Since its inauguration in 1976, as a transformation of the former Institute of Hispanic Culture, the JSCC has occupied an important place in the cultural life of Asunción. From its beginnings, the institution has been at the forefront of cultural concerns, providing instruction, promoting debate, dialogue and creative freedom, and supplying a platform for emerging groups and artists, as a space that is both receptive to new aesthetic movements and a driving force making them known throughout the country. The focus of the Centre’s activity is, naturally, culture, in all its manifestations, which is viewed as an essential component of human development: political, social and economic.

History

The JSCC, with over 40 years’ presence in Asunción, has been an exceptional witness to the recent history of Paraguay, since its original configuration as part of the Institute of Hispanic Culture, through the reestablishment of democracy, to the present day. According to Francisco Corral, its first director, this Cultural Centre was created almost as the personal endeavour of the then ambassador of Spain, Carlos Manuel Fernández-Shaw. About those beginnings, Corral observed: “Despite a severe lack of resources, the Centre fostered a continual level of cultural activity, thanks to the dynamic participation of Paraguayan intellectuals and artists. This aspect of the JSCC was never theorised or planned; we simply adapted to our particular situation of being [at that time] the only cultural centre created by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a Spanish-speaking country. We simply acted in accordance with the dynamics of society and with the demands of cultural movements in Paraguay”. During those initial stages of the Centre’s activity, Spain had newly regained its democratic freedoms and Paraguay was still subject to the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. During this era, the JSCC became a space of resistance and freedom, where artists and intellectuals could create and reflect, despite the censorship and persecution characteristic of the regime. The Centre played a key role in the custody and exhibition of the nation’s cultural heritage and in preserving its unique collections, such as the Julián de la Herrería and Josefina Plá collection and the libraries of Raúl Amaral and Miguel Chase-Sardi, which the fragile institutions of the State were unable to maintain. In the collective memory of Paraguayans, the work of the Centre and of its successive directors has left a profound impression. In the words of Nilo Fernández, in those difficult times Francisco Corral made the Centre “a beacon of resistance to the dictatorship and a refuge for those who were persecuted”. During those years, moreover, the Centre acquired certain characteristic traits that have persisted to the present day. The Centre has been and remains a haven for intellectuality and critical thinking, a flagbearer for human rights and a pathfinder for modernity. After the 1980s, with the recovery of democracy in Paraguay, the JSCC retained its inclusive cultural perspective, promoting diversity and cultural rights accessible to all sectors of society. Ticio Escobar made special mention of another JSCC Director, Nilo Fernández, who “bequeathed the renovation of the Centre’s infrastructure, which was continued by his successors. Under his direction, the building was daringly expanded, remodelled, restored and reformed. As a result, it acquired exhibition

rooms that were newly equipped and better suited to the demands of complex, numerous cultural activities. This contribution is especially noteworthy in Asunción, a city with limited facilities regarding rooms, halls or other spaces appropriate for drama, exhibitions, debates and workshops”.

Day to day activity

During its four decades of existence, the Centre has progressively consolidated its position at the heart of the Paraguayan cultural scene, playing a leading role in training cultural specialists and artists and in raising public awareness. The Centre has witnessed great changes in conceptions of development cooperation as a lever for change, and has supplied a modern perspective, contributing to major changes in how cultural institutions address training, promotion and management. The Centre has conducted innumerable activities over the years, some of which are detailed in Memories of 40 years of the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre of Spain, published in 2016, from which the above testimonies are taken. Outstanding among recent activities is the Chaco Ra’anga cross-border project, headed by Eloisa Vaello, who during a field trip through the Chaco Basin, around the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, drew the world’s attention to the cultural and environmental wealth of the region, as well as the obstacles to be overcome in the construction of a global citizenship. This project gave rise to an exhibition and a symposium, held in the Cultural Centres of Spain in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina and in Casa de América in Madrid. For the JSCC, it is of capital importance that citizens should play an active role in cultural processes, not only accessing information but also acquiring cultural goods and services, and perhaps going beyond consumption to become involved in artistic creation and production. Contributing to these goals, the Centre supports groups and communities, independent cultural centres and artists’ organisations, in all aspects of culture, as called for in the 2030 Agenda. With these activities, the JSCC underpins society’s support for cultural industries, for the development and internationalisation of local creation and for assisting collective endeavours. These concerns take concrete form in the Centre’s cultural action, via programmes highlighting artistic and cultural expressions in Spain and Paraguay, ranging from popular art to cutting-edge technology, in the performing arts, music, film and the visual arts, as well as providing a context for training and reflection.

Projects and alliances

One of the major projects currently being addressed by the JSCC is the Invernadero (Greenhouse), which brings together art, politics and experimentation in a training space for artists and activists, where the aim is to develop projects considering art and politics and the spaces between them. Okápe (a Guaraní word meaning “outside” or “outwards”) is a platform aimed at strengthening and promoting emerging musical talents, which programmes monthly concerts of new local bands and provides training workshops. Another interesting venture is the Paraguayan-Hispanic Theatre Month, a cycle of locally and regionally-created stage shows and training programmes. The online radio station Onv Ayvu (a Guaraní word meaning “noise, racket”) is both a channel of expression and a training facility in techniques of radio production. The JSCC has entered into a partnership with TEDIC, a digital rights organisation, to develop Communities and Technologies, a programme of workshops, talks and meetings related to training in technological tools and digital security, and coordinating with groups working in these areas. In addition, the Centre plays a vital role in supporting international cultural events, such as the Asunción International Film Festival, the ‘Create in Freedom’ Contemporary Dance and Arts Meeting, the Asujazz International Festival, the Ciudad del Este International Jazz Festival, the LesBiGayTrans Film Festival (initiated by the JCSS), Ojo Salvaje (Wild Eye) Photography Month, the Asunción International Art Biennial, the Temporal Art Festival, Creating Circuits (a regional get-together of cultural programmers and managers), the National Theatre Week and the Curitiba Biennial. Finally, the Centre collaborates with and supports many cultural and social institutions and organisations, both national and international, including the National Secretariat of Culture,

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1. Ninho Casa(H)era, a show by Gisamara Moura presented in the framework of the International Encounter of Contemporary Dance and Arts, Crear en Libertad (Create in Freedom). JSCC, 2018

2. Poster for the exhibition Josefina: al oído del tiempo (alert to the sounds of time), 2015

3. Patio and library of the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre

2 the Asunción Directorate of Culture, the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Art of the National University of Asunción, the Higher Institute of Fine Arts, the Cinemateca Foundation of Paraguay, the Museo del Barro (Clay Museum), El Cabildo Republic Cultural Centre, the European Union Delegation to Paraguay, the Paraguay Coordinator for Human Rights (CODEHUPY) and the Federation for the SelfDetermination of Indigenous Peoples (FAPI).

The Building

The Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre is located in the historic centre of Asunción, in an Italian-style building combining two mansion houses set around an inner courtyard. The first of these houses was acquired in August 1975 by the Spanish Government and renovated by the Spanish artist and architect Francisco Torné Gavaldá; the purchase of the second, in the late 1990s, significantly extended the Centre’s main façade on Calle Herrera. The building was subsequently restructured to include the Manuel de Falla Auditorium, with features lending it greater versatility, such as opening up the stage towards the patio. These renovations, directed by the Paraguayan architect and artist Carlos Colombino, were complemented by a space that housed the Julián de la Herrería Museum. Further remodelling, in 2003, enhanced the Centre’s architectural personality, reorganising the exhibition halls and the Cervantes Library, together with the office space and a workshop. This intervention was directed by the architects Luis Alberto Boh and Javier Corvalán and has transformed the image of the Salazar, making it a space embodying both heritage and modernity, both traditional concerns and the avant-garde. The growth and evolution of the Centre’s facilities reflects not only the expansion of its artistic and historical heritage, but also the inclusion of new ways of thought and of how to communicate art and culture.

Services and facilities

Over the years, the Juan de Salazar Centre has evolved to become a venue offering a comprehensive range of cultural activities in Asunción. Its facilities include the Goya Halls, a magnificent space for the visual arts with almost 500 square metres of

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exhibition space, where countless displays and curatorial projects have been presented. Multiple activities have also taken place in fields such as history, anthropology, politics and the environment. These exhibitions have promoted and encouraged artistic creation, contributing to the dissemination of the authors’ work and highlighting the variety and talent of Paraguayan, Spanish and IberoAmerican creators. The Centre’s planners have sought to balance minority proposals with more popular exhibitions, alternating exhibitions by young artists with retrospectives of established figures, appealing to all tastes. In addition, guided tours of the exhibitions are organised, together with seminars and talks, raising awareness of the work of creators and of emerging trends, thus fostering new audiences. The Manuel de Falla Auditorium was inaugurated by Queen Sofia of Spain in 1996. Its 180 square metres provide space for 180 seats, the stage and the dressing rooms. The building is uniquely versatile, providing a space that allows

the public to be located not only in the auditorium but also in the patio. The auditorium is used for all kinds of activities: music, dance, theatre, film, literary presentations, round tables, debates, discussions, seminars, conferences, courses and workshops. The activity in the auditorium is constant, featuring artists of all styles, from Spanish music to local rock groups, from stars of classical ballet to contemporary dance companies. The building currently housing the Cervantes Library was constructed in 2003. It contains some 20,000 volumes, with works of reference, newspapers and magazines, literature and audiovisual materials. In addition to the traditional functions of reading, lending and research, open to the public, the library is also a multidisciplinary space where presentations, exhibitions, talks and lectures are regularly held. The Workshop, with space for 45 people and a useful area of 78 square metres, provides courses, workshops and seminars, with general and specialised training in diverse areas of arts

and culture, whether for projects originated within the centre or for external proposals in line with the institution’s policies. The formal name of the Salazar patio is Jardín Félix de Azara, in honour of the Spanish naturalist and geographer, who carried out important studies in the geography and natural history of Río de la Plata in particular and of Paraguay in general. This outdoor space is used for theatre activities, concerts, summer film screenings, performances and exhibitions. The Centre’s Ayvu Waves radio station, inaugurated in 2012, provides a digital platform for alternative and experimental communication of a cultural, artistic and social nature. In particular, it promotes local output and the use of technology as a means of disseminating critical thinking. Ayvu Waves is part of a network comprising all the radio stations created by the Cultural Centres of Spain, which seeks to forge ties and create spaces for these Centres to exchange experiences and programming. Ayvu Waves has a wide-ranging output, addressing artistic, cultural and social issues that do not normally form part of the commercial spectrum. The most recent addition to the Centre’s facilities is the Sala de las Vitrinas (Display Room), which was inaugurated in 2019 and provides a multipurpose space for smaller displays and exhibits by emerging artists.

The collections

The political situation during the Stroessner era led many local artists to donate their legacy to the Centre to safeguard and maintain their heritage. An example of this is the collection of work by Julián de la Herrería, which forms part of a permanent exhibition on the second floor of the JCSS. This collection was donated by Josefina Plá in 1989 to the Spanish Government, via the Cultural Centre of Spain. The collection includes small and medium-format twentieth century works by Latin American artists, mainly Paraguayans. However, the bulk of this collection consists of the creations of Julián de la Herrería and Josefina Plá, with paintings, drawings, ceramics and engravings. Another legacy to the JCSS is that of the anthropologist Miguel Chase-Sardi, who bequeathed his collections of books and magazines, together with personal annotations and research. The collection consists of 4,500 titles and is an invaluable resource for anthropological and sociological research. Another important collection donated to the Cultural Centre is that of the anthropologist Raúl Amaral, which includes 3,464 documents, including books, commentaries and magazines.

A future with room for all

Predicting the future is always an uncertain business, but the first 40 years of the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre have inspired in us the conviction that when we work to promote culture we are working in favour of humanity, to achieve the full recognition of people’s rights, forms of expression and multiple identities. In short, we are creating and shaping the future we wish to enjoy. The world we wish to see in the future is one with room for everyone, a world where development is both fair and sustainable, where the welfare of all men, women and children is the greatest priority. At the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre we shall continue to work, in our chosen field of culture, towards these goals, making this, our home, open to artists, researchers and the public, offering them a diverse, inclusive and reflective programme.

A living space

Sebastian Peña Escobar Film producer and director

The Salazar Cultural Centre has provided an essential space, not only promoting the arts, research, production and critical thinking, but also providing a cultural refuge at crucial moments in our history. During the dictatorship, it was a meeting place for the cultural community, which found solace in a context where creative expressions opened up different ways of thinking, enabling artists to address issues that were censored elsewhere. Since the recovery of democratic freedoms, the Centre has expanded its functions as a space for cultural exchange and for addressing a wide range of content. Its continuing relevance and reinvention have made the Centre enormously influential in the cultural activities of Asunción. Perhaps the Centre’s main contribution is to have remained present and active in the field of cultural promotion. This, against the historical background of Paraguay, means a lot. Cultural facilities, free and open to all, were not at all common in this country. Indeed, even today Asunción does not enjoy the wide range of generally-accessible cultural activities that can be found elsewhere. Nevertheless, 40 years ago the Juan de Salazar Centre, together with partner institutions, began to nurture an urban cultural calendar open to all, and its efforts have greatly contributed to the transformation of our society. My first contacts with the Centre were in the 1990s, when I attended plays, exhibitions and film screenings with family and friends. During the early 2000s, this proximity intensified when I attended the seminars on cultural critique and theory conducted by Ticio Escobar. Every Thursday for many years, a group of like-minded people came together to reflect on philosophy and theory, to present our research findings and to debate the latest thinking, the arts and the historical-cultural process. At these seminars, I was able to meet writers, theoreticians and contemporary philosophers from whom I learnt, and with whom I debated and sometimes disagreed. The members of these groups included thinkers from the artistic world such as José Luis Brea and Fernando Castro, theoreticians like Benjamín Arditi, creators such as Nury González and curators like Justo Pastor Mellado. An anecdote I vividly remember was the screening of Birdwatchers, a film about the struggles of the Guaraní and Kaiowa peoples in Brazil. Although it was sometimes hard to watch, in its depiction of the desperately hard lives of these indigenous groups, the film had the great virtue of telling simple stories within the overall setting of conflict; simple human stories, of love, sadness and different views of the world. When the screening ended, the main character appeared on the stage and, as in the film, he let out a fierce cry, a mixture of despair and vitality, which left us all with a lump in our throats.

A sounding board

Esteban Bedoya

Writer and Head of Cultural and Tourist Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay

In the San Roque neighbourhood in Asunción, what landmark comes to mind? For many years it was the María Auxiliadora school, until one day an old mansion, on the other side of Calle Tacuary, began to suffer “growing pains” with the development of “a project by the Spanish”. This project gave rise to a centre whose stated mission was to defend cultural freedom and the right to diversity – daunting goals in those times of autocracy. This ambitious project later took physical shape with a careful renovation of the building, under architectural direction, to house the necessary facilities. In this rebuilding, the façade of the original building was left intact, helping preserve the urban landscape, while inside, museum-like spaces were created, suffused by air and light from its garden, ventilating and invigorating the building complex. For the local population, since the Centre’s urban and social intervention began, the name Juan de Salazar has been synonymous with culture; for many years, whoever entered the building perceived not only art, in whatever shape or form, but also a comforting sense of “relief”, reflecting the freedom of expression cultivated over many years at the Centre. The people of Paraguay have reasons to value this institution, which has always provided a forum for ideas to be debated, both in the harsh years of censorship and in the present day, facilitating the human right of access to art, in its multiple expressions. Changing social, political and cultural circumstances have made the Salazar Centre a sounding board for new artistic tendencies, and a major protagonist in promoting the cultural vanguard in Paraguay, hand-in-hand with great artists, intellectuals and thinkers, in the worlds of theatre, cinema, literature, dance and music, each of whom have left their mark and contributed to growth and understanding. As the Centre’s bulletin puts it, “… with mutual knowledge, cooperation and exchange, friendships are woven, projects are dreamt, and nations and their citizens come together”. Today we are privileged to have a first-class cultural centre in Asunción, thanks to the careful planning of the Spanish Government, which has created a fundamental instrument for cultural cooperation with Paraguay. The Centre is staffed by an excellent team of highly-skilled professionals and is equipped with the necessary infrastructure to satisfy its needs. Reflecting the belief that culture has no limits, the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre continues to grow, and was recently expanded with the inauguration of its exhibition hall, beside the access to the auditorium, where the brickwork from the building’s original construction more than a century ago has now been exposed, beneath limpid panels that will embellish art works on these walls. In short, this ambitious undertaking has amply fulfilled its goal of enabling the populace to interact with national institutions through culture, putting into practice its credo that culture is an essential component of human, political and social development. How the Centre will continue remains to be seen.

A channel for the truth and beauty of indigenous peoples

Bartomeu Meliá

Jesuit priest, linguist and anthropologist

I first encountered this Centre shortly after its 1989 renovation, when I returned to Paraguay after an exile lasting 13 years. Those were times of transition, but the fear had not, indeed has not, yet been banished. The Cultural Centre of Spain is a place for communication, where words can be freely expressed. I met friends, I made friends. The aesthetic dimension of its exhibitions makes this a place where something new is always happening, leaving no-one untouched. It is a space where I feel I can say whatever I believe to be true, raising my critical voice if I wish. What truth is not critical? The Centre has allowed me to contribute but also to learn. The spirit of youth is ever present here, with lessons for us all. One of the most important aspects of the Centre’s work is its commitment to the cause of the indigenous peoples, opening up channels for their truth and beauty to be known. The Centre has taught us to see in a different way, to appreciate other colours, other flavours. And we have grown to love them. It’s an experience that will never fade or die; Spain is still in need of this presence in Paraguay. If it didn’t exist, it would have to be created. Without it, much would be lost.

Extract from ‘Memories of 40 years of the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre’, published in Asunción, 2016.

BOLIVIA Cultural Centre of Spain in La Paz

Address

Avenida Camacho 1484, entre Loayza y Bueno, La Paz

Opened

2012

Web

http://www.ccelp.bo/