Saturday 24 February, 2024, 1–5pm
Tate Britain Reading Rooms
Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG
Free but booking required. Book here.

Cecilia Vicuña created Saborami in the aftermath of the September 1973 military coup in Chile. Combining poetry, journal entries, documentation of artworks including assemblages and paintings, the book was first published in Devon, England in an edition of 250 hand-made copies by the artist-led Beau Geste Press. It was one of the first artistic responses to the violence of the military junta.

Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the book’s original publication and of the coup in Chile, this expanded edition published by Book Works contains a new introduction by art historian and curator Amy Tobin and poet and writer Luke Roberts. It includes rarely seen archival material from Vicuña’s time in London, such as contributions to the feminist newspaper Spare Rib, commentary from BBC coverage, and her role in Artists for Democracy in Chile and other solidarity campaigns.

Cecilia Vicuña will be joined by Amy Tobin, Luke Roberts and special guests for a discussion, performance and readings.

The event will be accompanied by a display of material from the Beau Geste Press (BGP) from Tate Library’s collection. BGP was founded in Devon in 1970 by Felipe Ehrenberg, Martha Hellion, David Mayor, Chris Welch and Madeleine Gallard. The Library holds approximately 150 titles from the output of the Press, and 65 titles from the Beau and Aloes Arc Association. The collection was acquired directly from David Mayor in 1980 and uses Mayor’s original inventory as the basis of its organisation.