Sábado Gigante (Gigantic Saturday) is par t of a research through which Fátima reproduces and recontextualizes TV sets used by Latin American romantic ballad singers between the 60s and 90s. The aesthetic of these spaces shows clear references to various modernist trends that were appropriated in pop culture with the aspiration of symbolizing progress - a stance that contradicts the music’s conservative and especially sexist discurse. At the time pop culture worked as the media through which massive audiences became consumers of avant-garde art which had previously been reserved for the intellectual elites.
Despite the gap between the sense of melody and narration in those ballads, as well as their schmaltziness, and the radically non-representational and non- narrative aspects of abstraction and its aesthetic severity, the abstract forms seem to move seamlessly between both worlds; allowing us to examine the disruption of the precepts of abstract art through their reconfiguration by the music and television industries.
For this specific project, Rodrigo works around a set used by many singers in the emblematic TV show Sábado Gigante (Gigantic Saturday). One of the most successful shows in the history of South America’s entertainment industry.Its audience exceeded the rating expectations and despite some criticism, during the 70s and 80s, it was broadcasted live and obtained about 80% of tuning, becoming the unconditional accompaniment for South American families on Saturday afternoons. After many years, Sábado Gigante’s host, known as Don Francisco, was repeatedly accused not only of humiliating people in front of camera, but also of sexual harassment and rape intent by different women, including two minors. By reproducing this set, Fátima Rodrigo is highlighting the way those aspirational precepts understood as modernism, not only served as the background but also as the cover for serious social conflicts in Latin America. Through the reconfiguration of the gallery’s space the artist also seeks to question what we understand as“modern”particularly in a post-colonial context in which the concept is used in contrast to non-European cultural histories and practices.

Sábado Gigante (Gigantic Saturday) is par t of a research through which Fátima reproduces and recontextualizes TV sets used by Latin American romantic ballad singers between the 60s and 90s. The aesthetic of these spaces shows clear references to various modernist trends that were appropriated in pop culture with the aspiration of symbolizing progress - a stance that contradicts the music’s conservative and especially sexist discurse. At the time pop culture worked as the media through which massive audiences became consumers of avant-garde art which had previously been reserved for the intellectual elites.
Despite the gap between the sense of melody and narration in those ballads, as well as their schmaltziness, and the radically non-representational and non- narrative aspects of abstraction and its aesthetic severity, the abstract forms seem to move seamlessly between both worlds; allowing us to examine the disruption of the precepts of abstract art through their reconfiguration by the music and television industries.
For this specific project, Rodrigo works around a set used by many singers in the emblematic TV show Sábado Gigante (Gigantic Saturday). One of the most successful shows in the history of South America’s entertainment industry.Its audience exceeded the rating expectations and despite some criticism, during the 70s and 80s, it was broadcasted live and obtained about 80% of tuning, becoming the unconditional accompaniment for South American families on Saturday afternoons. After many years, Sábado Gigante’s host, known as Don Francisco, was repeatedly accused not only of humiliating people in front of camera, but also of sexual harassment and rape intent by different women, including two minors. By reproducing this set, Fátima Rodrigo is highlighting the way those aspirational precepts understood as modernism, not only served as the background but also as the cover for serious social conflicts in Latin America. Through the reconfiguration of the gallery’s space the artist also seeks to question what we understand as“modern”particularly in a post-colonial context in which the concept is used in contrast to non-European cultural histories and practices.