As we develop this month’s theme of art and design, we wanted to take a look back at Argentina’s contributions to the art world over the past 100 years or so; specifically the world of photography.

The art of photography is (obviously) not only significant for the aesthetic values that an artist can create with an image, but also for the stories implicated by the scenes captured in a single frame. Photographers document snapshots of a dynamic world, a split second of a story that is hinted at but left for interpretation. The duality of photographs – the image they show and the message they hint at – is what makes them (and their creators) so compelling.

Argentina has been an international hotspot for photographers since the introduction of the daguerreotype to the Río de la Plata area in 1840. During the early years, Buenos Aires attracted European photographers who could be the first in the field to work in the city and explore the ‘exotic’ landscapes and subjects of the Argentine interior.

At first, local photography was limited to small privileged elite who could afford the finest technology of the era and learn from foreign experts who had brought the preliminary devices from France. However, as technologies and economies advanced and access to photographic tools opened up a bit at the end of the 19th century, Argentina raised some brilliant photographers of its own and continues to do so today.

There are far too many incredibly talented and historically important Argentine photographers to make a truly comprehensive list, but we’ve rounded up some of the best ones from the 20th century to introduce you to a few of the country’s finest. The photographers that made the list were chosen for their historical achievements in the field – their roles in constructing the panorama (if you will) of Argentine photographic history and stylistic movements.

Juan di Sandro (1898-1988)

First on our list is Juan di Sandro, considered the father of photojournalism in Argentina. Di Sandro worked for for La Nación for most of his career, collaborating with them until 1976.

Di Sandro broke away from the stuffy, fixed still frames common to the late 1800s and opened up his style to life and movement and metaphor. He is said to have pioneered Argentine field photography, dedicating his professional life to capturing current events.

The Italian-Argentine is best known for his aerial shots in which he captures city life from new angles. He often took photos from small planes to achieve this, and is regarded for his ability to control shot lighting from afar with exquisite precision.

During his early years, Di Sandro frequented art circles in Buenos Aires and was inspired by the delicate work of peers like Gustav Thorlichen, Hans Mann, and Eduardo Colombo.

His most emblematic photo is “Llegada de Plus Ultra,” (1926) which is said to represent Argentine national identity of the twenties.

Di Sandro is also famous for his 1937 photos of major avenues in Buenos Aires, including Av. 9 de Julio and Av. De Mayo, as well as the era’s well-known store El Coloso– of course, all shot from above. His portrayal of these recognisable city spots in new and profound ways excited the public and continues to distinguish him as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. His focus on political happenings would allow him to work successfully in the field for over forty years.

Di Sandro worked with a Speed Graphic camera that his European contemporaries used. He later moved to a Rolleiflex that produced 6x6cm negatives. He is set apart from many of his peers because he never worked with a 35mm film camera, a tool that dominated the field internationally after WWII. Instead, he kept an older, luminous style that distinguished him from many photojournalists who moved to advanced shutter speeds and film types.

He received an award from the president of La Nación for his work at the first Photojournalism Summit of the Buenos Aires Press Circle in 1942.

Horacio Coppola (1906-2012)

Horacio Coppola makes our Top 5 as one of the biggest names in Argentine photography since 1920. Coppola is known as the true “graphic representative” of the city of Buenos Aires in the 30s and 40s, and his work during this time is etched into porteño public memory.

Coppola grew up as part of an educated, upper class family and started taking photos at age 13. In 1930 he left Argentina to study photography in Europe, and was inspired by the movements of the time, acquiring a 35mm camera and drawing from the work of architect Le Corbusier, apparent in a series of urban life shots. After meeting his photographic companion and future wife Grete Stern at the Bauhaus school in Germany, the two moved to Buenos Aires in 1936.

He is known for capturing seemingly minor, often mysterious, details of the city and converting them into iconic images. For instance, Coppola has taken photos of Buenos Aires cafés, interactions of porteños on the city streets, and cultural elements like mate and asado. He captured emblematic scenes that represented the city of Buenos Aires and made the city recognisable throughout the world.

Coppola is especially famous for his photos depicting night scenes that became symbols of the city. This set of photos is also characteristic of his meticulous style in which he set up technically perfect frames and habitually manipulated shot lighting for balanced composition.

Coppola later moved on to shoot lesser-known series of architectural shots and photos of figures and daily objects and eventually worked with colour film.

Coppola would eventually teach art and photography classes to young people in Argentina. His photos were shown at the Buenos Aires Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and in cultural centres throughout the Americas.

Annemarie Heinrich (1912-2005)

Annemarie Heinrich is next up on our historic photographers list because of her emblematic studio work photographing celebrities and public icons. Becoming the leading Argentine celebrity photographer at just 18 years old, she was known internationally as one of the best in her genre between the 40s and 60s. During the height of her career, Heinrich’s name was synonymous with “photographer of the stars” in Argentina.

Heinrich shot for popular celebrity magazines like Sintonía, La Revista Social, Mundo Radial, and Antena. Starting in 1935, she was responsible for photographing the cover shots for Radiolandia magazine every week for 40 years.

In 1947 Radiolandia printed one of Heinrich’s photos as the first Argentine magazine cover in colour. The shot features actress Zully Moreno and is one of Heinrich’s most recognisable pieces.

It is said that Heinrich truly understood the philosophy behind her job – namely, to capture images of iconic figures in a perfect manner that presented national celebrities and public figures flawlessly.

She fanatically studied illumination of studio interiors, implementing lighting techniques from film sets, theatres, and observing lighting methods used in international celebrity magazines.

Heinrich was born in Germany but soon moved to Buenos Aires with her family, where she became an Argentine citizen and learned about photography. Before she was 20 years old, Heinrich had opened a modest studio with the help of her father and began working with greats like Melitta Lang who helped her develop her distinctive style, seeking to photograph celebrities as true, god-like idols and became an expert in portraits and studio shots.

Until 1970, Heinrich was the Argentine photographer with most photos published outside the country and the most international prizes. Today her work is displayed in museums and cultural spaces throughout the world.

Before her death in 2005, Heinrich’s work was shown at a joint exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in the capital and was awarded the Leonardo Visual Arts Prize.

Adriana Lestido (1955-)

Next up is Adriana Lestido, a well-known contemporary photographer famous for her extended photo essays. Lestido, a Buenos Aires native who has worked for La Voz and La Nación, is known for her work’s social commentary. Her photos document the lives and stories of marginalised groups of the greater Argentine population, and she has won several awards for her series on women in society.

Lestido generally shoots black and white photographs in which the subjects are the focal point. Most often, Lestido’s photos are hints at lives and stories and the way she sees the world. She documents the some of the most profound experiences and struggles of humanity in her work, highlighting facial expressions and body language in contextualised environments.

In an interview corresponding with her work in the Argentine Rabobank collection Lestido explained her attraction to photography, saying, “For me this is photography: being able to capture a perception of reality and make it conscious”.

Lestido’s most famous shots are from her photo book on mothers and daughters, ‘Madres e hijas’, published in 2008, that documents striking moments lived by mothers and daughters together.

In 2009 Lestido was awarded the Grand Acquisition prize at the National Salon of Visual Arts. One year later the national legislature voted her one of the country’s Outstanding Figures and awarded her the Bicentennial Medal.

Since 1995 she has taught local photography classes, including a workshop in Ezeiza women’s prison no. 3 in 2007. Lestido’s work is currently on display all over the world and is on exhibit at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. She still works and lives in Buenos Aires.

Marcos López (1958-)

Our round-up ends with Marcos López, a high-impact photographer from the province of Santa Fe. López is famous for his loud, ironic style that he established in his preliminary portraits shot during the 1980s.

López’s flashy style has been compared to Andy Warhol and is characterised by pop-art influences, direct angles, and whimsical, staged scenes that have progressed over time. His current work uses symbolism to depict social critique and personal experiences, as seen in his quirky and outlandish series like Pop Latino and Sub Realismo Criollo.

Perhaps his most famous photograph is ‘Taxista en la Quiaca’(1997) although the style of the shot is much more subdued than his later pieces and work he shoots today.

In his early twenties López began teaching himself photography while studying engineering. He moved to Buenos Aires in 1982, where he further developed his interest in photography and met like-minded people in the capital city, integrating himself into circles of young artists and photographers like other great photographers had done before him.

In 1986 López left for Cuba to study at the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Banos. He won first prize from the Andy Goldstein foundation, and was allotted a grant for a black and white photo book, which he published in 1993.

López now lives in Buenos Aires, working as a photographer and producing independent videos. His work has been shown throughout the world, including shows in Spain, France, and Venezuela.

“To mourn death is to disrespect life.” After his shocking murder in Guatemala City last Saturday, Facundo Cabral’s own words ring with a sad resonance. Many have ignored these words however and openly mourned this great Argentine folk singer. Impassioned vigils have taken place across Latin America.

22nd May 1937 marked the beginning of Cabral’s life. From what can only be described as humble beginnings, much is publicised about the struggles and challenges he faced. His father abandoned him soon after birth, along with his mother and siblings, and life continued to bring hardships. At the age of nine he left home to look for work, infamously walking 3,000km, with the aim of reaching Buenos Aires to talk with then President Juan Domingo Perón, who promised to give the poor work.

Cabral’s career and relationship with music begun after he escaped prison, where he was carrying out a sentence for violent behaviour. This period behind bars saw him learn how to read and write, and crucially the beginnings of his involvement with Christianity.

Success was initially evasive. Under the artistic name ‘El Indio Gasparino’ his first songs were not well received. However by 1970, and under his own name, he was enjoying widespread popularity. This was especially the case after the release of ‘No soy de aquí, ni soy de allá’ – arguably his most famous song.

The late 1970s brought heartache for Cabral. Not only did he lose both his wife and one-year-old daughter in a plane crash, he was also exiled by the Military Junta from Argentina in 1976. Labelled a protest singer by the dictatorship, he returned to Argentina in 1984 a sacred name to the Argentine people. This period in exile also brought Cabral immense international success, especially in Latin America and his ‘second home’ of Mexico.

Cabral’s murder will secure his position as one of the greats of Argentine music. However his life story, which also includes surviving cancer and being named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 1996, and his beautiful, passionate songs should not be overlooked. His music is lyrical and melodic. It is also haunting and evokes a whole range of emotions. Maybe that is now because of his tragic death, or maybe it is because of sad life story, but ultimately it must be because of his great skill as a musician and lyricist.

Genre: Folk

Dates Active: 1954-2011

In his own words: ”I always ask God, why did you give me so much? You gave me misery, hunger, happiness, struggle, lights…. I saw everything. I know there is cancer, syphilis, spring and apple fritters in the world”

Most famous song: No soy de aquí, ni soy de allá

Best lyric: ‘There is half the world waiting, with a flower in their hand, and the other half are waiting, for that flower’

Famous for: Cabral will probably become most famous for his death. However his life story, and all the struggles within it, will remain a fascinating story to tell.

Best to listen to: Just want to sit and think, maybe have a little cry? Stick this on, and feel the emotion in the lyrics and the instruments.

Kevin Johansen was born in 1964 in Alaska to an Argentine mother and a North American father, raised until the age of 12 in San Francisco, and trained in music in Buenos Aires and Montevideo – where he lived until the 90s.

He passed quickly through the rock nacional phenomenon in Argentina in the 80s, releasing two albums with a band called Instrucción Cívica. When he was 26, he decided to move back to the United States to rediscover the land of his youth, where he spent about a decade playing in a house band and recording an album with the band The Nada, which he founded in New York.

It wasn’t until 2002 that Johansen made the permanent move to Buenos Aires, and became a national music sensation. His first album since this move, Sur o no Sur, was sold throughout the Spanish speaking world. Johansen described his music on that album as a mix of Cumbias,flamencas, celtic sambarera, and hip pop. Whatever it is, it was working for him: the album was nominated for three Latin Grammys.

He’s spent the last decade touring the world, performing at the MTV music awards, and recording more eclectic and instantly popular songs. In April 2007, he released the fourth studio album with Kevin Johansen + The Nada, ‘Logo’, an ironic twist to the ‘No Logo’ by Naomi Klein. The album was named by Los Angeles Times as one of the five best albums of the year and Johansen and his ‘Logo’ are again nominated for the Latin Grammys. Currently,  Johansen is touring the Americas, still hugely popular nearly 30 years after his first appearance on an album.

 

Genre: Pop-Rock

Dates active: 1985-present

In his own words: I’m a degenerate.

Most famous song: ‘Anoche soñé contigo’

Best lyric: I think our hips touched each other, Before our eyes actually met, All I know is that now I have no regrets

Famous for: Eclectic body of music, and resemblance to Argentine football player Piojo López (he is nicknamed Piojo Johansen)

Best to listen to: Sunny mornings, or live in concert- he’s known to put on an excellent show.

Four years after the frustrations of the Parisian working class exploded in 1789, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette met their infamous end at the guillotine. But what became of their son? Even in the myth-shrouded context of French historical narrative, the 10-year-old Louis Charles (the would-be Louis XVII) remains an enigmatic figure. The dauphin was still with milk teeth when the revolution broke out—but even during the counter-revolution that followed, he never assumed the crown. Why not?

One possible explanation: the dauphin was in Argentina, where he would live out his life peacefully until his ultimate assassination.

Before dismissing the notion out-of-hand, consider two versions of what might have happened. The standard story is that following a failed family attempt to flee to the royalist stronghold of Montmédy, Louis was imprisoned with his parents and sister. While his mother and father were publicly beheaded and his sister sequestered in another location, Louis met with a different fate. Under cover of night, a group of royalist nobles with visions of post-revolution succession kidnapped the boy and delivered him to the care of a sympathist cobbler in the Paris Commune. There Louis stayed until, for mysterious reasons, he was transferred to a dark, humid, and filthy cell. Inadequate ventilation and the poor quality of the food passed to him through the bars proved fatal: he died in 1794 of tuberculosis, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Marguerite. It was his uncle who became the king.

As a character in Cortázar’s Los Premios writes, however: “It is one’s duty to consider each situation with the greatest possible latitude, looking not only at the circumstances themselves, but also at all their imaginable variations—from the initial formulation in which we retain a naïve confidence, to the projections one might call magical or dialectical, forged from one’s hunches or the feelings in one’s gut.” One might imagine an infinite number of justifiable alternatives, possibilities radiating outward from a most-probable center.

And so let us entertain an alternate explanation. The move to a new cell was simply a pretense for subsitution—while an unfortunate look-alike was imprisoned, the real Louis was secreted away to the house of a family of fishermen in Calais, in the north of France. There he was educated by private teachers, learning English, Spanish, German, Latin, and Hebrew in addition to French, and studying navigation, architecture, and painting. Finally, with his own country too dangerous, he changed his name to Pierre Benoit, taking the surname of his fisherman family. With a letter of recommendation signed by Napoleon Bonaparte in hand, he set sail from France—arriving in July 1818 in the marina of Buenos Aires.

Dauphin in the Barrio

This second story has its roots in the generational failure to keep secrets—in other words, in oral tradition. Benoit supposedly confided his heritage to his daughter Petrona, who passed it on to her niece Dolores, who told it to her son Federico Zapiola Benoit, who in 1941 revealed it to the world in his book “¿Luis XVII murió en Buenos Aires?”

Zapiola cites a great deal of evidence to make the case for his great-grandfather’s royal status. He describes finding a drawing of Benoit with the initials L.C.R.F.P.B., written in lacy Baroque style—the interpretation, according to him, being “Luis Carlos, Roi de France, Pierre Benoit.” He notes that while Benoit was a painter, he painted only three portraits during his life: one of Marie Antoinette, one of Princess Marie Thérèse Charlotte, and one of Princess Isabelle (the dauphin’s mother, sister, and aunt respectively). Additional evidence is that after Pierre’s death, a letter arrived from Calais, informing the family that his grandfather—supposedly only a fisherman—had bequeathed them a grand fortune. (Benoit’s son supposedly destroyed the letter before witnesses, saying “This money is not for us!”)

Zapiola wasn’t the only one in his family to have believed the Benoit story. In an interview, another descendant, Lucrecia Zapiola, described Benoit’s habit of carrying with him in a locket a lock of blonde hair, supposedly belonging to his mother Marie Antoinette. According to her, he was closed about his past, and refused to answer questions about family history. Benoit’s great-granddaughter, Elina Benoit Pieres (who devoted her life to the family’s genealogical tree) corroborated this reticence, telling the newspaper Emisiones Platenses that he “told his daughter that he came from a golden cradle; letters in French arrived that he wouldn’t allow anyone to open; money he knew had been deposited in a bank in Calais was never touched.”

According to all accounts, Benoit—perhaps in post-dauphin capacity—led a normal and productive life in in Buenos Aires. He worked, briefly held public office, and married an Argentine woman, with whom he had two sons. (One of them, also named Pierre Benoit, was an architect specializing in the design of churches and public buildings, and is famous here for having helped build the Catedral de Buenos Aires and for having planned the layout of La Plata.)

But myth enlarges Benoit’s life and situates it within a grander narrative. With its quasi-mystical intrigue and Borgesian themes of dual identity, the legend has found resonance in Argentina. Articles in newspapers from Clarín to Diario Hoy have speculated on Benoit’s identity; and the 1950 short-story collection “Misteriosa Buenos Aires,” by Manuel Mujica Láinez—recently republished by Biblioteca del Viajero ABC, and currently displayed prominently on the front tables of numerous bookstores—contains the story “The Marble Staircase,” devoted to chronicling the accounts of those who believe Benoit was truly the disguised Louis XVII.

Death of the Dauphin, Part I

After the revolution, the idea of a living dauphin grew in popularity as Louis XVIII’s support dwindled. The rumors were loud enough to worry the crown—if a dauphin really did exist, Louis XVIII could be gotten rid of and the “true heir” restored. Convinced this must not happen, the king ordered one of his ministers to find out the truth, an investigation ending with a confession from a member of the Directorio that the boy had been kidnapped in 1794.

According to Zapiola’s account, this boy was Pierre Benoit, and he would be considered a threat to France so long as he lived. By this point, the reality is that Benoit was hardly a threat to anyone but himself. Suffering from age-related pains and severe hip problems, he had been confined to his bed for the past fourteen years when in August 1852 an unknown visitor is said to have called on him at his home on Bolívar and Independencia. The two men spoke alone, and in French, but through the walls the maids managed to hear Benoit refer to the other as “docteur.” On his way out, the visitor told the maids that Benoit was sleeping, and was not to be disturbed. Nor would he be—according to the story, he had been prescribed pills containing arsenic. (Legend also has it that while this doctor could not be located in Buenos Aires, he was discovered a few months later in Paris and guillotined.)

Benoit was buried in the cemetery in Recoleta, but his remains lay undiscovered until 1996, when the cemetery was partially remodeled. When a wall was pulled down, Benoit’s bones were found mixed with those of another eighteen people (three men, five women, and ten children). In the laboratory, chemical analysis revealed that the body belonged to that of a 67-year-old man with hip problems. Arsenic was detected in the bones, and chromosomal analysis suggested genetic correspondence with French nobility.

Adding even more ballast to the idea of an “alternate dauphin,” a 1995 genetic analysis revealed that the exhumed remains in the St. Marguerite cemetery in France (according to the traditional story, those of Louis Charles) actually belonged to a child not of 10 years, but of 16. Perhaps Louis Charles really had been replaced in his prison cell by another boy—perhaps the true Louis XVII really had lived out his days in Argentina.

Death of the Dauphin, Part II

Not everyone is so convinced by the idea of a Rioplatense Louis XVII, however. Books like Héctor Sáenz y Quesada’s “¿Vivió y murió un delfín en Buenos Aires?” point out the speciousness of the “evidence” Benoit’s relatives offer. As Quesada notes, during the Bourbon restoration following the revolution, hundreds of claimants to the title of Louis XVII emerged, many with stories as complex and convincing as Benoit’s. As if literally to demolish the myth, in 2008 Benoit’s house in Buenos Aires was torn down, provoking a mini controversy on the theme of historical preservation.

For all its detail, the myth was ultimately dealt a blow severe, swift, and fatal, though no historian was responsible. In 2000 DNA testing was brought into play yet again, with the intention of putting unauthentic claims to rest. Modern methods confirmed that a heart preserved for centuries in alcohol in Paris did in fact belong to the tubercular dauphin—proof that Louis Charles really had died in captivity. The heart was buried in the Basilica in 2004, alongside the remains of his parents. Here the story rests, with a small postscript: while genetic testing occasionally gives life to new legends, more often it murders a few of the many that exist. The Argentine version of Louis XVII could not be done in by French revolutionaries or squalid prison conditions—in the end, it took a test tube.

Ana María Shua – born in Buenos Aires in 1951 – is famous in Latin America as an author of microfiction. Her many books in the genre (including ‘La suenera’, ‘Casa de Geishas’, ‘Bontanica del caos’, ‘Temporada de fantasmas’, ‘Los días de pesca’, ‘Viajando se concoce gente’ and ‘Como una buena madre’) have received national and international prizes and have been anthologized in collections around the world.

She began her career as a poet; ‘El sol y yo’, her first collection, was published in 1967. Since then, she has produced more than forty books. In 1980, her novel ‘Soy paciente’ won the Losada Prize; other novels include the Guggenheim-winning ‘El libro de los recuerdos’ and ‘La muerte como efecto secundario’, which received a Municipal Prize in the novel category. Her latest novel, ‘El peso de la tentación’, was published in 2007. In 2009, ‘Cazadores de Letras’, collecting four of her microfiction books in one volume, was published in Madrid. ‘Que tengas una vida interesante’, an omnibus collection, was published the same year in Buenos Aires.

This year, her most recent collection of microfiction, ‘Fenómenos de circo’, was published simultaneously in Argentina and Spain.’Fenómenos de circo’ takes as inspiration the circus, portraying notorious impresarios, freaks, and feats across a series of incredible, paradoxical and ludicrous vignettes. Houdini has a cameo, as do more fanciful circus archetypes like the Magician, the Sword-Swallower, and the Tattooed Woman. Like a series of circus acts themselves, the stories burn for an instant and then disappear – readers are left beguiled and enchanted, with no choice but to start again from the beginning.

We caught up with Ana María Shua in her home in Palermo and spoke about the circus feat that is writing, and the inspiration behind her circus-themed collection.

Tell us about your writing process – and specifically about the process as it pertains to this new collection of circus-themed microfictions?

I usually start with a single story, and then write them down as they come to me. [This time,] when I had gathered ten or twelve short stories, I started reading about the history of the circus, the biographies of famous circus performers, and I identified different people and different circus phenomena. My research gave me more ideas, and I went on from there.

What does the phrase “Fenómenos de circo” (Circus Phenomena) mean to you?

Well, phenomena as in “freaks” – unusual people; people with deformities, different bodies, strange abilities – but also in general terms: all the components of the circus. The freaks, the performers, the trainers, the impresarios, the animals. Everything that belongs to the circus. But I also have a special interest in freaks.

Why is that?

They’re part of the history of the circus. They’re still out there on television. For some reason, our society considers it politically incorrect to exhibit them as freaks in person, but has no problem with gawking at them as long as it’s through a camera. The Discovery Channel documentaries, for example, the Tree Man, the subject of the documentary – the man with the branching tumors. I believe there’s nothing wrong with curiosity about the strange and the different. It’s a way for the performers themselves to support themselves, when their circumstances would otherwise prevent them from working a normal job. It’s a way for them to become famous, and to travel, and to live interesting lives. They can also earn a great deal of money.

So, why microfictions? These short-shorts and circus acts; the brief glimpses into performers’ lives and their routines, their “numbers” – they make for an interesting pairing. Was that your intention?

I enjoy the extreme condensation of the form—the condensation of a profound sensation or idea into a few words, a brief significance.

Circus acts are very brief. They’re quick because the artists have to demonstrate their abilities before a demanding public. They have to show off because the audience will stop paying attention right away. They’re always trying to surpass themselves, because the audience gets bored. That’s why nobody ever does three front flips in a row on the trapeze – by the third one, the audience has stopped watching.

It’s interesting to see these long, eventful, and sometimes disjointed histories condensed into such a short lyrical form. Do you have difficulty restraining yourself as you write, choosing what to include and what to leave out?

Never. When I write in this format, my mind is set to this pattern. My stories are born brief. I don’t have to cut details or condense an idea. It never happens that a long piece of work comes to me as a short story.

You include a long and detailed historical appendix to the collection; brief biographies of all of the circus performers that appear in your short short stories.  Why?

I wanted people to know what was invented and what was real. In the first part, I worked with historical information to create short fiction. This follows the way that I worked chronologically: I started with my own ideas and impressions, memories from childhood, impressions of the circus and the idea of the circus. Then I started to read about famous people in the circus, about the origins of the circus and its various incarnations. I wrote, and then I investigated, and then I wrote some more.

It was important to me, however, that the reader understand what actually happened. It’s very important to me that they read the historical appendix. That they share my curiosity. Also, the authentic has a great deal of prestige in our society. Something on film, in photographs – it’s important that people understand that these things did occur, that these people did exist.

What sorts of things did you look for? Did you seek out a particular type of story?

Not really. Whatever jumped out at me as I went along.

The story that interested me the most was the story of the monkey woman who married her impresario and then died after giving birth to a child who looked just like her. Their corpses were subsequently exhibited, sold to a Russian university, exhibited, bought back, exhibited, lost, recovered without her child’s corpse, and exhibited again. She is currently on display in Oslo, at the university, but anyone who wants to visit her has to get special permission. The archbishop of Oslo is campaigning to have her buried. It seems like there is always someone trying to display her and someone trying to inter her. It’s a fascinating story in all, a terrible story – I didn’t add much.

The Rolling Stones captured the spirit and aspirations of a generation and became a template for every rock band that has emerged in their wake. The so-called ‘British Invasion’ of rock music in the US in the 1960s, made sound waves right down to the Argentine capital. Ratones Paranoico, branded the ‘Argentine stones’, were certainly no exception, but their music was more than a pale imitation.

Founded by lead singer Juan Sebastián Gutiérrez (“Juanese”) in 1984, the Ratones’ career spanned a twenty year period with a core four-piece band that included bass player, Pablo Memi, guitarist Pablo Cano and drummer Rubén Quiroga, under the aegis of cult producer Charly García. Juanese had previously played alongside Memi in the band ‘Las Puñalada Amistosa’.

Like that other iconic eighties band, Soda Stereo, the Ratones were instrumental in popularising the Rock en Español movement with their earlier tunes ‘Bailar conmigo’ and ‘Sucia estrella’.

Juanese, who in a 2009 Rolling Stones cover looks like a suspiciously self-styled, raven-haired Mick Jagger, cultivated a long-standing relationship with Andrew Loog Oldham, the former manager of the Stones. His influence and mentorship would cement the Ratones Paranoico’s career in the 1990s and lead to several concert performances alongside their British icon-counterparts.

“I listened to the stones since I was six or seven, but they were the only band I clung to.” Juanese once remarked. “And now we see fans coming to watch us, all with their Rolling Stones t-shirts, their absolute identification with the need for real rock ‘n roll.”

The next move was to shed their copycat image, adopting a Chicago blues beat with their debut album, ‘Los chicos quieren rock’, which features the insouciant, provocative lyrics of ‘Rock en las venas’. But the album was not initially a resounding success.

The Ratones would have to wait two years before they secured a core fan base with the 1989 album ‘Furtivos’, which included the hit single ‘Rock del Gato’.

It was during this period that Juanese made the provocative statement that their music had “nothing to do with national rock.”

“I don’t feel part of it,” he claimed. “I make rock and roll music and I am Argentine…but they’re separate.” It was under this premise, that they composed their second album, ‘Tómalo O Déjalo’, giving their fans the flippant ultimatum:  ‘Take it or Leave it’.

On the back of their newfound success, they signed a contract with Sony Music in 1990 and coaxed Oldham to come to Buenos Aires to produce their next album, ‘Fieras Lunáticas’. The recording of the album, which included the hit single ‘Rock del Pedazo’ was finished in the US. Oldham’s additions include the melody of ‘Wah-Wah -(No puedo obtener) Satisfacción’.

In 1992, the Ratones opened for Keith Richards and the Guns N’ Roses at the Coca Cola Festival in Buenos Aires, and three years later on five occasions for the Rolling Stones during their tour of Argentina. Just before that period, they collaborated on the album ‘Hecho en Memphis’ with former Stones guitarist, Mick Taylor.

Juanese edited his first solo album, ‘Expreso Bongo’ in 1997, triggering rumours of the Ratones’ imminent breakup.

Nevertheless, a year later they were still performing ensemble on the porteño scene, although Fabián Quintiero briefly replaced Mimi on the bass.

In 2000, they released one of their most successful singles, ‘Para Siempre’ with Andrés Calamaro. A version dedicated to Diego Maradona was released a year later, claiming that the iconic football player was “the greatest thing there is / our religion, our identity.” It was a bizarre shift from the original version that had run “I am a rat in the city / I have no religion.”

A host of hit singles arose in quick succession in the next decade, including ‘Sigue Girando’, ‘El Balcón de Julieta’ and ‘La Fuga’, sparking off a second heyday.

Marking the Ratones twentieth anniversary, Pablo Guyot and Alfredo Toth produced a documentary of their work, entitled ‘Inyectado De Rocanrol Vivo’, filmed during several performances in 2005.

By the time their signature album, ‘Ratones Paranoicos’, was released in 2009, with the acclaimed tune, ‘No llores’, it was clear that the Ratones had finally moved away from their Stones template, embracing a more mainstream, jazzy style.

In August 2011, the band split but Juanese has continued to pursue his own solo career.

Their songs – like the catchy Vicio – continue to feature as theme tunes for TV shows, ensuring their lasting presence in the popular cultural imagination.

‘No Llores’ by the Ratones Paranoicos

Genre: Rock en Español

Dates Active: 1984-2011

Most Famous Song: El Rock del Gato

Best Lyric: “I don’t know whether to vote for Menem or De la Rua / I don’t know whether to shoot someone or stab them.”

Famous for: Making “Patria Stone” its own rock genre.

In his own words: “We don’t deal with replicas…with adopt a style with great responsibility. There were many people who always depended on the Stones, they were fixed on the sound, we were responding to this tendency and need.”

Best to listen to: At an Argentine eighties-themed party.

Argentine designers enjoy their annual fashion week, coined BAF, every February. Inevitably a season behind, it fails to receive much international attention. But the reputation of South American fashion is on the rise, with people such as the Brazilian Francisco Costa, who currently heads Calvin Klein’s womenswear collection, leading the way.

Argentine presence specifically has become more common in some of the most prestigious fashion weeks round the world. The fashion industry is also increasingly turning its attention to the new emerging economies, Prada’s decision to debut its Spring/Summer collection in Beijing in January of this year, just one indication of this shift.

When discussing designers here it is important to think of them in a different context to the fashion houses of Paris, London and Milan. These are designers who may well be on first name terms with their shop assistants, who design couture dresses for a realistic price and whose creations are of course beautiful and exciting, as well as intelligent at being fundamentally Argentine and therefore different. What’s more, if you are earning in pounds, dollars or euros, these pieces are affordable, whilst retaining that same air of desirability and remaining quite simply special.

Argentina’s Top 5 designers are most definitely a force to be reckoned with. Whether you have the opportunity to saunter downtown to one of their stores or you want to order a piece from a far-away part of the world, you will find that typical Argentine accommodating character trait present in your dealings with the designers as well as the quality that you expect from their European counterparts.

1.Pablo Ramírez

Someone once said that the number of buttons you wear on your sleeve determines how important you are. Some shirts by this man have six – a grand number indeed. ‘The grandfather of Argentine fashion’, ‘the Argentine Valentino’, Pablo Ramírez can certainly get away with six buttons. He is the foundation of fashion design in Argentina. His pieces are simple and beautiful – reminiscent of the timeless beauty of vintage Balenciaga. Rarely deviating from his black and white pallet, the beauty of his pieces is in the cut, the drape and the sheer quality of the design. Also a costume designer for plays, ballets, operas and concerts, his extravagance for design is evident in the flared sleeve of a chequered suit jacket or in the pointed collar of a crisp white shirt. Buying an item from one of Ramírez’s collections is buying an item you will treasure through the changing seasons and trends. Always classic and always stylish this is the designer to go to for that piece you have always wanted.

Arguably Ramírez also has the strongest reputation in foreign lands. If you’re looking to impress with your labels he will sit confidently among better known European brands in your wardrobe. A regular at both Madrid and Berlin he is on the cusp of the established circuit.

Situated in San Telmo, apart from his peers in chic Recoleta, his store holds it own in this barrio. Here it is also possible to have a dress designed to your requirements, a service which some celebrities have taken advantage of to attend events such as Cannes and MTV. So whether you’re looking for the couture experience, but seem to have misplaced Valentino’s number, or you want to invest in some classic, romantic pieces, Pablo Ramírez is a designer whose clothes you will stay in love with for a lifetime.

Shop – Perú 587, Tel: +5411 4342 7154, Email: tienda@pabloramirez.com.ar www.pabloramirez.com.ar

2. Jessica Trosman

I can imagine that when Trosman was younger she was the kind of child who would draw on walls and cut things up. Her clothes are a delightful mixture of fabrics and cuts. Whether a classic, cosy woollen jumper mixed with pearls and silk, a slinky jersey maxi skirt with wool and leather or a hard leather jacket softened with wisps of silk, her pieces are interesting and they work. There are the slightly predictable t-shirts with silk panelling, and then there is the rest of the collection which is fascinating and unique. Indeed the desired affect is not that the pieces look sewn together, but that they are an ensemble, always destined to exist together. There is never a theme to her collections, just the natural result of her vision and passion – evident in the individual nature of each piece. Her collections are displayed in colours, with rows of black punctuated stylishly with a vibrant orange top or a golden cream skirt.

It is always dangerous to make comparisons, but Alexander Wang springs to mind when looking at the hang of the clothes and feeling the soft jersey and shiny leather. However, Trosman is much more about the energy of Buenos Aires rather than the grunge of New York.

In the glitzy Patio Bullrich shopping centre in Recoleta, Trosman’s store takes pride of place at the front entrance. With competition inside from fellow fashion labels such as Max Mara and Christian Lacroix she most certainly holds her own. This is also reflected in her rising reputation abroad. From her first collection in 2002 she has enjoyed, along with the Argentine economy in general, consistent growth. There has been worldwide reception of her designs, not a surprise as they manage to be the magic three of beautiful, cool and feminine all at the same time.

Shop – Patio Bulrich, Av Libertador 750, and Trosman Jeans store Armenia 1998. Tel +5411 4856 5288, Email trosman@trosman.com, www.trosman.com

3. Martín Churba

If Argentina wants to strengthen its ties with Japan then it should most definitely use Martín Churba as an ambassador. With a store in Tokyo, the Japanese are amongst his biggest fans. A quick peruse through his store makes it obvious why. Cool, modern and futuristic designs and strong materials catch the eye and keep you wanting to see more. The cut on his trousers are especially edgy and contemporary. His collections are always photographed against a plane white wall – it helps one envisage how these clothes will stand out in real life.

Churba’s background is in textile design and he started in this field over 15 years ago. This helps to explain the delightfully colourful nature of many of his designs. It is the pattern and feel of the clothes more than anything else which really makes them stand out. His brand ‘Tramando’ was started in 2002, and as an exciting new development in Argentine design, it really did change how the Argentines approached fashion.

His dresses especially really stand out. Is it acceptable to admit that you are slightly intimidated by an item of clothing? The criss-crossing, draping bands of material in various shades of metallic instantly catch your attention, but it is doubtful how flattering they would be. Churba doesn’t appear to design his clothes with female insecurities in mind however. His pieces are fun and cool, for people whose first priority is not how they look in the clothes, but how the clothes look themselves. His skill is the ability to make all his items of clothing so aesthetically interesting and desirable that you just want them no matter how they look on you. Ultimately it is because we all want to be the kind of person who can wear Churba’s collections. Attractive and feminine of course, but above all, cool.

Shop, Rodríguez Peña 1973, Tel +5411 4811 0465, Email: casamatriz@tramando.com, www.tramando.com

4. Min Agostini

Another giant of the Argentine scene, Agostini is a highly respected regular at BAF week. In recent years her accolades from abroad have been plentiful – a runway at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, selected by Harrods to display her work in their main window to represent Argentine fashion design, named by the Independent Newspaper in the UK in 2009 as the most prominent Argentine designer – are just a few examples of her flourishing reputation.

With designs made uniquely out of one piece of material, twisted and folded in such a way as to a create stand-out item of clothing, once you start inspecting her work you realise just how special they are. This season’s collection sees rich colours of blue and red amongst deep shades of black; they are reminiscent of the physical landscape of a dark Nordic winter. The volume and cut of some of the pieces further echo the volume trend we see promoted in Spring/Summer 2011 collections in the northern hemisphere led by designers such as Jill Sanders. What’s more, her background in architecture helps explain the exciting structures of some pieces in her collections.

Agostini’s strength lies in the power of an individual piece to make an outfit powerful and unique. The quality of the cut of the pieces and Agostini’s respect for the female form means that it’s not only the dresses which drape beautifully, but also the waterfall waistcoasts, the shawls and the jackets.

At her store too it is possible to buy one off pieces.

A simply stunning silver pleated dress stood out in the rails. Recommended as a good dress for a wedding, perhaps the mother of the bride, if the bride did not want to wear white it would actually be beautiful enough for her position centre stage. And that is the point of Agostini’s clothes – to take centre stage – and this attention they most certainly deserve.

Shop – Libertad 1532, Julían Álavarez 1419, Tel: +5411 4813 0805, Email info@minagostini.com.ar, www.minagostini.com.ar

5. Benito Fernández

Benito Fernández’ clothes photograph incredibly well. A look into any of his campaigns or catwalks shows show colourful and creative his pieces are. His experience in selling clothes, which began in 1994 with haute couture creations in bridal and night gowns, is also evident in his more relaxed ‘Jeans’ brand. Both his couture and Jeans pieces exude colour, sparkle and yet remain stylish.

Originally a law student, Fernández decided to transfer to Flego, an Argentine academy of fashion, and then moved onto the Paris American Academy. Joining Min Agostini at fashion week in New York in 2009, as well as showing in Chicago, his international training has developed into international success.

Entering his boutique one is first confronted with what can only be described as a garish collection of colours, feathers and sequins. On closer inspection however the individual quality of the colour combinations and cuts of the clothes comes across. The couture dresses are unique and although you won’t like them all, you will fall in love with some – surely the sign of real couture fashion. Two stand out pieces were a dress of deep green feathers with a beaded bandeau top, and a sheer neon splattered dress which could be worn to a day time garden party or dressed up for a night time excursion. Fernandez is popular with many of the heavyweight celebrities in Argentina, unsurprising due to the quality and hang of many of his dresses, if not also the attention his dresses demand and the fun they exude.

His Jeans collections are also a good place to go. Pretty tweed jackets in fun green and blue, with a pleated dress cut at the hem would go well with the printed leggings. He is also able to make paint splatter ‘jeggins’ cool and desirable – surely the sign of a top designer.

Boutique – Benito Fernandez, Arroyo 900. Call +5411 4328 2990, Email info@benitofernandez.com.ar, www.benitofernandez.com.ar

Did you enjoy last week’s column? Oh, you didn’t even read it?

I see.

Fuck you, then.

Mayoral Candidate #02 – Daniel Filmus

Name: Daniel Fernando Filmus

Occupation: He used to be an Education Minister but now he is a senator.

Age: 56

Party: Frente para la Victoria (Or “The Victory Front”), which is also President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s party.

Ideology: Liberal, progressive left-wing (or, by US standards, an anti-American communist, Nazi, Muslim, socialist who’s also probably Kenyan).

Running Mate: Carlos Tomada

Pros: He’s done a lot to improve education around the country and God knows that public schools in the City are in desperate need of some good management.

Cons: I dare you to watch any of his speeches without falling asleep. Jesus, this guy is boring. Oh, and also the President hates him.

Superpowers: None. Well, he’s super boring, but I don’t think it actually counts as a super power.

Catchphrase: None. (Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m asking these.)

Nemesis: Anything that is considered to be funny.

If he were a fictional character, he’d be: I don’t know. This guy?

Chances of being elected: Actually pretty good. Especially after Mayor Macri’s mediocre administration. And his campaign ad is looking very hip, modern and cool, since it appeals to the younger generations.

Check back next week for Episode 03, Pino Solanas, another candidate you don’t know/give a shit about.

Ciao!

Mercedes Sahores has become the first Argentine woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at 8,848 metres above sea level.

 Sahores, 34 years old, reached the peak on Monday.

Her father, Luis Sahores, explained how she arrived at around 9 pm and called her family via satellite telephone. “I couldn’t really understand anything,” he said, “but I managed to hear ‘we’ve arrived, we’ve arrived!’” The expedition was leaded by another  mountain guide, Damián Benegas, who was born in Puerto Madero and now lives in Bariloche. Two Americans also took part, Eugene Rehfeld, 63, and Johnny Collinson, 17.

The mountain climbers first set up camp at the base of Everest, needing to acclimatize to the 5,500 metre altitude.

Throughout the climb, Sahores, a ski instructor and passionate for adventure sports, was communicating by telephone and email, from certain camps that had installed satellite connection.

Asides from being a sportswoman, she has a biology degree and works with birds, and  in particular on the Andino Condor Project., which is dedicated to the preservation and study of the American bird species.

The first Argentine to reach the summit of Everest was the photographer Tommy Heinrich, on 15th May 1995. After 65 days of climbing, he nailed the blue and white flag into the highest mountain in the world.