Florencia Fernández Frank

Florencia Fernández Frank, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1975. I am an artist, teacher, researcher, and cultural manager. My work includes painting, drawing, installations, textiles, participatory actions, collective works, visual poetry, and illustration. I am interested in intersections, mixtures, and encounters. Originally a printmaker, I understand that techniques are tools, and I have chosen to cross the boundaries of disciplines, convinced that art has the power to transform the reality that surrounds us. I am particularly interested in collective and interdisciplinary work. I live and work in Buenos Aires and have developed projects and activities in various cities in Argentina (Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán, Mendoza, San Juan, Córdoba, Santa Fe) and in Mexico, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, the United States, and Croatia. I believe that spaces for encounter are always fertile ground for collective building, beyond hierarchies, and I try to put this into action through workshops, courses, and seminars. In university education, where I teach, I participate in two research projects and direct the UNA/Art and Territory University Extension Project: "Bridges of Knowledge" in Isla Maciel (https://www.instagram.com/puentesdesaberess/, a workshop for children in a vulnerable neighborhood bordering the city of Buenos Aires, within the framework of the Isla Maciel Foundation https://www.fundacionislamaciel.org/). I lead visual experimentation and publication workshops in day centers for people recovering from psychoactive substances, together with the Lebensohn Foundation (https://fundacionlebensohn.org.ar/programas/taller-de-cooperativa-editorial/). I have supported the Mujeres Que No Fueron Tapa (Women Who Weren't on the Cover) project, an artivist and feminist social transformation project, since its inception. (https://mujeresquenofuerontapa.com). I am part of the content design, exhibitions and workshops.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: This workshop invites us to get to know ourselves and affirm ourselves together: Questioning stereotypes that impact our self-perception. Topics: stereotypes, self-knowledge, patriarchy, social conditioning, counter-pedagogies, somatic experiences, body awareness, questioning social expectations, words and images for transformation, collective construction.

We will explore the wisdom of our bodies and question societal dictates. Together, we will create a hand-sewn booklet to share new perspectives, images, and words that will allow us to build collective thought and affirm the values that sustain our lives beyond societal expectations.