Ciudad Multiple City: Urban Art and Global Cities: an Experiment in Context by Adrienne Samos, Gerardo Mosquera

MultipleCity 2003 was a project that gathered artists from several countries and asked them to react creatively to Panama city. Each artist was invited to create a work in the streets that would be of the streets. The key requirement was that the artworks had to respond to some physical, social and cultural aspect of the city. The artists were also asked to actively relate to the city and struggle with its myriad seductions and pressing problems; and moreover to ensure that both the process of creation and final works (without necessarily being interactive) would involve their host communities and have some sort of impact upon them.

MultipleCity is the most important international artistic event in the entire history of Panama. Featured artists included: Artway of thinking (Italy), Brooke Alfaro (Panama), Francis Alÿs (Belgium/Mexico), Ghada Amer (Egypt,) Gustavo Araujo (Panama), Gustavo Artigas (Mexico), Yoan Capote (Cuba), Cildo Meireles (Brazil), Juan Andrés Milanés (Cuba), Jesús Palomino (Spain), Humberto Vélez (Panama), Gu Xiong (China/Canada). A DVD is included with the book.

This catalogue, published almost a year after the event, portrays much more than the event itself. It includes essays on the complex dynamics of Panama City and its pressing urban problems – which has relevance and resonance for other poor developing countries that face rapid urbanization.

The text is in English and Spanish.