The Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica (CCECR) presents “Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations in Costa Rican Art”, an exhibition that celebrates and explores the diversity of queer identities through various artistic manifestations.

The exhibition takes place within the framework of a broader program of activities that includes lectures, film screenings and theater and dance performances. Its aim is not only to raise awareness of Spanish cultural production, but also to highlight and disseminate local creativity.

Sánchez Kuo imagines a queer nativity scene in a context of current decadence, offering possible reinterpretations that represent a queer imaginary within the social structures, inevitably religious, in Latin America.
Órganon represents the transformation of the body beyond its material limits. In the dream world, its shape, color and proportion acquire infinite variations, symbolizing human identity.
Rolfo describes the transfeminine body as a circuit that operates simultaneously as a testosterone blocker and an estrogen injection, manifesting a negation of phallocentrism and an affirmative desire of the body becoming virtual. This concept serves as the basis for her work, which consists of a self-portrait of her own transfeminine body.

Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations in Costa Rican Art

The CCECR, located in the vibrant Barrio Escalante, offers a variety of spaces for events, including an exhibition hall, a courtyard for concerts and theater performances, and areas for workshops and conversations. An inclusive space for emerging and self-managed artists, this environment fosters cultural exchange and innovation.

“Orgu-Yo” is a platform for costarican queer artists to present their work and share their experiences, promoting greater visibility and understanding of diverse sexual and gender identities. This initiative reflects the commitment to the promotion of human rights and cultural diversity, fundamental principles of Spanish Cooperation.

The exhibition includes a series of works that reflect the diversity and richness of queer experiences in Costa Rica. Here are some highlights:

Trans*parencies – Elías Calderón Castro (2023)

Esta obra reinterpreta “Hipersexualismo” (1938) de Emilia Prieto Tugores en el contexto de la lucha trans. Calderón multiplica el cuerpo original para representar la diversidad de la comunidad trans, manteniendo la mutilación del rostro y los brazos para simbolizar la pérdida de autonomía e identidad. Los colores en la obra (naranja, turquesa, violeta, índigo y gris) representan diferentes aspectos emocionales y físicos de la experiencia trans. La transparencia del material simboliza el rechazo social, mientras que el tamaño imponente obliga al espectador a confrontar la problemática.

Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations
Skin – Daniel Abarca P. (DADA) (2023)

“”Skin” is an exploration of corporeality and its function in society through video art. A voyeuristic experience of the body mediated by objects, questioning the limits between body and object and transforming the viewer into an active participant in this reflection.

Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations
LIBERATION, Masculinity-Femininity – Helen Bustamante (2024

Bustamante explores the human connection to masculinity and femininity in this photographic essay. The photographs, in black and white, seek to capture how people feel rather than how they look, establishing a deep connection with these facets of identity.

Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations
Breaking molds – Psycho Drag (2019)

Four performative events held between 2019 and 2023, promoting Drag art in unconventional spaces, are documented in this work. In this work, the photographs capture moments of performances that challenge norms and celebrate diversity and creativity within the LGBTIQA+ community.

Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations
Looking at myself and facing life with tenderness – Emma Segura Calderón (2024)

Made during the Ritual 0.02 Residency, this work explores tenderness as a tool to face life. Over a visual narrative and the use of the artist’s voice, the video art invites an intimate reflection on the connection between vulnerability and strength, promoting self-acceptance and compassion.

Orgu-Yo: Queer Representations

“Orgu-Yo” is a platform for Costa Rican queer artists. These works invite viewers to reflect on identity and acceptance in an ever-changing society. These works are a testament to the queer art scene and the importance of visibility and dialogue in the struggle for equality.

Libido freedom
Desire, unrestrained, to feel you with my lips
Sudden, inexplicable energy that makes me sense you without touching
Seeing you without you being near, I imagine myself between your legs
I have orgasms inspired by you without having lived them; yet I have felt them
I have felt them in the darkest depths of me
Light and shadow felt by a free libido
Libido that does not forgive
It allows itself
It risks
It claims
It conquers
Libido tongue
Libido lips between your clitoris and perineum
Litigant libido, argumentative, conquering
Libido almost musical that extends through my arms, legs, brain, chest, whole body
Everything responds to the unrestrained desire to have you
Feel you
Take you
Love you
Taste your fluids and experience you in many nights without thinking of a tomorrow
This libido of woman, among women
Not allowed
Deprived of its freedom by social impositions
Machismo
Patriarchy
Cowardice
Libido that disrespects impositions
Guided by instinct
Away from religious precepts and penances
Libido that does not respect
Does not abide
It expands
It allows itself
Libido freedom.

Lea Beatriz Bolt Duarte

For more information about the exhibition and other CCECR activities, you can visit their website here.

Sensorial Sunsets