It is good to have points of reference. These are encouraged through politics and education. Various countries and regions, for example, establish a canon (canon is Greek for “guideline” or “measuring rod”). A canon brings to mind memorable people, artworks, inventions, events and developments that remain relevant to contemporary society. Such a guideline provides a sense of continuity and coherence, of belonging somewhere. In our globalised world, there is no single canon, no single great current — each city, region, country, language and continent has its own branching streams. The stream in which you, as an artist (composer, musician, …) or art lover, are immersed is constantly mixing and renewing itself. You inscribe yourself in the flow, tap into new sources and carve out your own riverbed together with kindred spirits. By treading water, swimming or sailing at full speed, you contribute to the current. You help create its swell and become — in retrospect — part of history.

At Bozar, various currents constantly come together. They often cross and influence one another. It has something of a relay race. In the final room of the John Baldessari exhibition, the American conceptual artist with pop art roots, child of European migrants, takes the baton from his Spanish predecessor Francisco Goya. Just like Goya in his series of etchings Caprichos and Los Desastres de la Guerra, Baldessari confronts image and text. In Luz y sombra. Goya and Spanish Realism, you can see Goya’s etchings. As a finale, you can watch a video installation by Albert Serra, a spin-off from his documentary Tardes de soledad. Enter at your own risk. Serra exposes viewers to the violence and macho behaviour of bullfighting without any filter.

Partly because of the way Goya was used in the canonisation of Spanish identity, the fierce bull came to stand as a symbol of something like the Spanish national character. The majismo of Goya’s era — with the traditional clothing and postures of majos and majas — is deeply rooted in flamenco. At the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century, it was a way to preserve Spanish identity against the French Revolution and French occupation. But what about the sources, the currents, and contemporary reinterpretations within the flamenco stream today? Curator Pedro G. Romero lets us experience this firsthand during the festival Flamenco antes y después del flamenco.