Artist Playlist: Abraham Cruzvillegas
For this series, Dia invites artists to curate a playlist that brings together music that they are listening to right now or that has been meaningful to them during their life.
I frequently imagine soundtracks for everyday activities, wondering what music should accompany a subway transfer, the minutes spent purchasing flowers, an unexpected encounter with someone who claims to be your childhood friend, a quick calligraphic drawing of a large ape, or a museum visit.
This game presented a challenge during my first visit to Dia Beacon, New York. While wandering through the galleries and around the works, I was flooded with memories of music. Diverse and contradictory sounds started to silently become part of my understanding of works that I had previously seen in art catalogues and magazines.
Mentally, I began taking notes of unexpected links between sculptures and symphonies, cumbias, rumbas, ballads, punk, ranchera, soul, techno, samba, hip hop, son huasteco, country, bolero, reggae, industrial, and many other styles. I smiled throughout the visit.
At that time, I was also invited to talk about one of the works in Dia Art Foundation’s collection as part of the Artists on Artists Lecture Series and was allowed to stay in their SoHo apartment. Sleeping beside Walter De Maria’s The New York Earth Room (1977), I was reminded of the voice of my grandmother, Helena.
For this selection of music, I have created a soundtrack for some of the works in Dia’s collection, including several not currently on view in Beacon. I initially tried to follow strict subjective and personal criteria, like only choosing works made in the year that I was born: 1968. But that process was ridiculously limiting, as I love many works produced in other moments.
So, I decided to go further, arbitrarily pairing one song with one artwork without reason. I selected titles, stories, references, contexts, and other delirious and goofy links to create new connections.
All musical pieces in this list are longtime favorites. In my silly game, the songs keep changing and exchanging every time that I think about or visit Dia Beacon, a favorite place of mine.
Playlist and Artwork References
Mario y sus Diamantes,“El cable” / Fred Sandback, Untitled (from Ten Vertical Constructions), 1977–79
Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven” / Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field, 1977
Los Mirlos, “La cumbia de los pajaritos” / Louise Lawler, Birdcalls, 1972/1981
The Rolling Stones, “Get off My Cloud” / Robert Morris, Untitled (Cloud), 1962
Rigo Tovar, “No son palabritas” / Lawrence Weiner, Statement of Intent, 1969
Los Saicos, “Demolición” / Robert Smithson, Map of Broken Glass (Atlantis), 1969
Julián Carrillo and Jimena Giménez Cacho, “Sonata 5: II. Allegro vivo” / Alighiero e Boetti, Ammazzare il tempo, 1978
Ultravox, “Alles Klar” / Charlotte Posenenske, Reliefs Serie B (Series B Reliefs), 1967/2008–11
Joe Arroyo, “Mary” / John Chamberlain, Joe and Mary, 1973
El Agujetas, “Siguiriyas de las grandes penas” / Louise Bourgeois, Hanging Janus with Jacket, 1968
Los Camperos de Valles, “El Sacamandú” / Dorothea Rockburne, Domain of the Variable, 1972/2018
Soda Stereo, “Persiana americana” / Agnes Martin, Window, 1957
Piper Pimienta, “Las Caleñas” / Dan Flavin, untitled, 1976
The Animals, “The House of the Rising Sun” / Nancy Holt, Sun Tunnels, 1973–76
Javier Solís, “Sombras” / Andy Warhol, Shadows, 1978–79
Nancy Sinatra, “In My Room” / Imi Knoebel, Raum 19 (Room 19), 1968
Serge Gainsbourg, “Couleur café” / Meg Webster, Copper Containing Salt, 1990
Throbbing Gristle, “Six Six Sixties” / On Kawara, JUNE 16, 1966 (from Today, 1966–2013), 1966
Toña La Negra, “Humo en los ojos” / Mary Corse, Untitled (Black Earth Series), 1978
The Slits, “Instant Hit” / Keith Sonnier, In Between, 1968
Fuerza Régida, “Grafiteando paredes” / Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #1085: Drawing Series—Composite, Part I–IV, #1–24, A+B, 1968
The White Stripes, “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” / Blinky Palermo, Winkel rot/weiss (Angle red/white), 1965
Justin Hinds, “Here I Stand” / Carl Andre, Redoubt, 1977
Hampus Lindwall, “Stop Chords” / Bridget Riley, Straight Curve, 1963
Chico Buarque, “Construção” / Kishio Suga, Diagonal Phase, 1969/2012
Carol Cool, “Upside Down” / Michael Heizer, North, East, South, West, 1967/2002
Daft Punk, “Giorgio by Moroder” / Richard Serra, Elevational Wedge, 2001
The New York Dolls, “Personality Crisis” / Robert Ryman, The Paradoxical Absolute, 1958
Gustav Mahler, Sinfonie Nr. 1. “Titan” / Anne Truitt, Echo, 1973
Gary Numan, “Observer” / Bruce Nauman, Mapping the Studio I (Fat Chance John Cage), 2001
Caravaggio, “Encerclés” / Lee Ufan, Relatum, 1974/2019
Young MC, “Bust a Move” / Franz Erhard Walther, 1. Werksatz (First Work Set), 1963–69/2010
Ramón Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte, “Un puño de tierra” / Michelle Stuart, Sayreville Strata Quartet, 1976
Cat Power, “Manhattan” / Max Neuhaus, Times Square, 1977/2002
Culture Club, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” / Joseph Beuys, Fond III/3, 1979
Ismael Rivera, “El difícil fácil” / Charles Gaines, Shadows series, 1978–80
Les Rita Mitsouko, “C’est comme ça” / Dan Graham, Rooftop Urban Park Project/Two-Way Mirror Cylinder Inside Cube, 1981/1991
The Fibonacci Sequence, “Book of Hours” / Mario Merz, Tavola a spirale (Spiral Table), 1982
Óscar Chávez, “Petróleo” / Bernd and Hilla Becher, Detail of Petrochemical Plant, Wesseling near Cologne, Germany, 1992
The Clash, “Rebel Waltz” / François Morellet, No End Neon, 1990/2017
Michael Jackson, “Man in the Mirror” / Gerhard Richter, Six Gray Mirrors, 2003
Mercedes Sosa, “Todo cambia” / Joan Jonas, The Shape, the Scent, the Feel of Things, 2004
The Replacements, “I’ll Be You” / Vera Lutter, Studio, IX: November 5 - December 15, 2003, 2003
Aretha Franklin, “Think” / Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, chronotopes & dioramas, 2009
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, “Please Read the Letter” / Jean-Luc Moulène, Monochromes/Samples 2, 2011
Prince, “17 days” / Roni Horn, Post Work III, 1986–87
Patti Smith, “Redondo Beach” / Robert Irwin, Untitled, 1965–67
—Abraham Cruzvillegas
