Liliana Porter and the Art of Simulation

Visually appealing, conceptually startling, and intellectually engaging - these phrases aptly describe the art of Liliana Porter. Florencia Bazzano-Nelson´s study focuses on the principal theme in the Argentine-born artist´s work since the 1970s: her playful but subversive dismantling of the limits that separate everyday reality from the world of illusion and simulacra. Over the years, Porter´s own evolving interest in perception lead the author to explore a series of interconnected and timely issues in her artistic production, such as the representative function of art, the structural links between art and language, and the witty re-signification of the art-historical images and mass-produced kitsch figurines she has so often featured in her art.Strongly founded in critical theory, Bazzano-Nelson´s approach considers Porter´s art as the site of conceptually exciting dialogues with Jorge Luis Borges, Rene Magritte, Michel Foucault, and Jean Baudrillard. Her carefully crafted interdisciplinary analysis not only combines art-historical, literary, and theoretical perspectives but also addresses the artist´s work in different media, such as printmaking, conceptual art, photography, and film.