Sueña [Dream]

In Buenos Aires in the 1990s, a new generation of artists responded enthusiastically to the recent democratically elected government and to the air of social tolerance that came with it. Feliciano Centurión was a central figure in the Arte Light movement, known for irreverent works that embodied progressive attitudes about lifestyle and sexuality. Centurión embroidered “Sueña” at the hospital where he received treatment for the HIV-related complications that led to his early death. In this work, pillows are recognized as being both familiar and evocative: in their place at the “head” of the bed, they are associated with our bodies as we rest, love, convalesce, sleep, and die. Weak and bedridden towards the end of his life, Centurión embroidered linens and smaller-scale pillows, such as this one, that express his grief and acceptance of his illness.