Milan–London–New York–Pompeya: Genios Pobres (Poor Geniuses) in Buenos Aires at the end of the 1980s

Abstract

From the end of the last 1976 military dictatorship, the Buenos Aires underground scene comprised of a web of aesthetic experiences that challenged the conventional ways of dominant culture. Intermeshing art, bodies and politics in an unprecedented and radical way, the artists involved in this scene in the 1980s created relational practices, joyful moments and venues for cultural production. At the end of the decade, young artists and designers of Genios Pobres (Poor Geniuses) gave rise to innovative productions between art, fashion and design. Drawing from interviews with several members of Genios Pobres, this text follows some experiences of the group, with the intention of recovering a compelling yet hardly explored chapter of Argentinian cultural history.