Perna, Cruz-Diez, Otero, Barboza: Venezuelan Focus at ISLAA

The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) in New York has launched its 2026 exhibition program with a major focus on Venezuelan modern and contemporary art. The season features a significant solo exhibition of Claudio Perna—his first in New York—alongside a showcase of Carlos Cruz-Diez and digital 'Spotlight' presentations on Diego Barboza and Alejandro Otero. The Perna retrospective, titled 'Idea como arte,' gathers over forty works including photography, photocopies, and conceptual cartography created between the 1960s and 1990s.

This programming is significant because it addresses the unequal international visibility of Venezuelan artists, many of whom have been eclipsed by the country's prolonged socio-political crisis. By positioning established masters like Cruz-Diez alongside conceptual pioneers like Perna, ISLAA recontextualizes Venezuelan art as a global phenomenon defined by displacement and experimentation. The Perna exhibition specifically marks the first large-scale review of his work in two decades, elevating his status as a 'geographer of experience' who bridged the gap between science, art, and social documentation.