September 9th marked a unique night in New York: the opening celebration of “Across Space – A través del espacio” an exhibition by Cris (Cristian Damián González Lahmann)—an Argentine artist based in Switzerland and the winner of the annual open call held by the Consulate General of the Argentine Republic in New York.
Across Space – A través del espacio is an immersive installation that invites visitors to explore the vast landscapes and skies of Argentina as a sensitive map where memory, nature, and contemplation intertwine. Curated by Maria T. Huang, the project is conceived as a sensitive map where memory, nature, and contemplation intertwine, inviting visitors on a journey through space and perception and creating a dialogue between the local and the universal, the human and the cosmic.
The artworks evoke the abstraction of physical space through organic forms, straight lines, and vibrant colors that create an atmosphere in which the perception of time stands still, generating optical illusions that invite contemplation of the immensity and relativity of existence.
The paintings allude to the colors of the Puna, Patagonia, the Pampas plains, the Litoral region, and Buenos Aires, in harmony with poems that amplify the voice of each territory. A projection and a virtual reality station expand these landscapes toward a horizon beyond time and space, reminding us that nature shares a single pulse across the entire planet.
The project is completed with the eponymous poetry book, published in Spanish and English, which extends the experience into the written word and consolidates the interdisciplinary dimension of the work. The poetry collection A través del espacio – Across Space is the eighth book published by Cris; it was presented during the exhibition and gifted to the Consul General of the Argentine Republic in New York, Gerry D. Bartolome—as shown in the photo above, taken during a personal meeting where the two exchanged valuable ideas regarding cultural diplomacy, the arts, and international relations.
The Poetics of Space: From Canvas to the Written Word
Drawing upon phenomenological reflections on inhabited space and cultural geography—where physical distance transforms into intimate place and borderlands become fertile sites of hybrid identity—Cris expands the visual installation into a literary cartography.
The book is a poetic immersion into the physical, emotional, and philosophical dimensions that structure our existence. Each poem is a spatial coordinate where the body experiences the weight of remoteness, the rigidity of boundaries, and the expansion of the horizon. Within these bilingual pages, everyday architecture—windows, transit lines, and borders—ceases to be a simple material container, revealing itself instead as a threshold of consciousness. Cris cartographies an intimate geometry where inhabiting the void is not an absence, but the presence of a territory of one’s own: the exact site where remoteness dissolves and space becomes home.
Cultural Diplomacy: Bridging Territories from the Global Capital
Beyond the physical event, “Across Space – A través del espacio” stands as a conceptual inquiry into how contemporary art redefines diplomacy in an era of shifting borders. Traditionally, diplomatic representation relies on fixed symbols of national identity; here, however, the territory is translated into an abstract, borderless cartography where geography ceases to be a political limit and becomes a shared human perception.
Inhabiting a transnational trajectory—shaped between South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America—introduces a fluid perspective on belonging. Rather than projecting a static image of origin, the work operates as a threshold of dialogue: an open spatial coordinate where memory, light, and silence invite the viewer to transcend geopolitical fragmentation.
Within a diplomatic setting, this aesthetic approach transforms institutional space into a sanctuary for contemplation and mutual recognition. Cultural diplomacy, understood through this lens, is no longer mere representation—it becomes the subtle architecture of encounter, proving that when space is stripped of rigid boundaries, art emerges as the most authentic territory of peace and universal connection.
Visitor Information
- Program: 2026 Cultural Program of the Consulate General of the Argentine Republic in New York
- Dates: On view through December 2026 (Free Admission)
- Location: 12 West 56th Street, Manhattan, New York City, USA
References
- Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. University of Minnesota Press.
- Bachelard, G. (2014). The poetics of space (M. Jolas, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1958).
- Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.
- Consulate General of the Argentine Republic in New York. (2026). Annual Cultural Open Call & Exhibition Archives: “Across Space – A través del espacio”. New York, NY.
- González Lahmann, C. D. (Cris). (2026). A través del espacio – Across Space [Bilingual poetry collection].
- Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. PublicAffairs.
- Tuan, Y.-F. (1977). Space and place: The perspective of experience. University of Minnesota Press.
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