Faena
Arts| Buenos Aires

Subversive and Immersive Art With Naama Tsabar


The larger-than-life presence of Israeli-born and New York-based performance artist Naama Tsabar graced the Faena Art Center Buenos Aires last month.

woman dressed in black performs on ground

Tsabar’s innovative, site-specific piece, “Melodies of Certain Damage (Opus 2)”, compelled the audience to question issues like power, eroticism, gender, and memory through radical artistry. Her sonic installation employed female and gender-nonconforming artists to break with traditional divides between popular music and contemporary art and create an entirely new immersive experience. Harkening back to the title of the work, Tsabar appropriated the male machismo act of breaking a guitar on stage during a rock performance, an act steeped in sex and violence. She then used pieces of these broken instruments to compose music and create a quiet but meaningful dialogue.

Alan Faena commissioned the work of this world-renowned artist to exemplify “our commitment to supporting artists as they work across disciplines and geographic boundaries.” Performing within the Sala Molinos but refusing to scale up her performance to fit the huge venue, Tsabar created another of the subversive gestures that define her work. Her composure with the smashed totems of sex/masculine/punk flips the script, embracing the opposite tropes— the lyrical, the feminine, the delicate. Tsabar’s works often draw elements of sex and sensuality—she plays with the construct of experience in high-concept installations and performances using “found items.”

A selection of her solo installations includes Pianissimo Gallery, Milan (2009) and Art Statements Art Basel (2008), Dvir Gallery, Tel-Aviv (2007), and Herziliya Museum for Contemporary Art, Israel (2006). Faena Art hosted “Melodies of Certain Damage (Opus 2)” for a week before it opened to the public during the weekend of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires in September.

Other Stories For Your Interest

Gateway to Art, Culture, and Community

Visionary Creatives - A In a rare and candid conversation, Alan Faena offered Rose Members an exclusive look into his visionary thinking and what lies ahead for the Faena brand. The evening reflected on legacy, creativity, and the evolution of culture. Iconic design duo David and Sybil Yurman joined Faena Rose for an intimate conversation on inspiration, artistry, and enduring alchemy. The evening traced their journey from sculptors to cultural tastemakers, blending creative vision with timeless design.

Where Fire and Flavor Ignite

"What makes Los Fuegos truly extraordinary is our commitment to the ancient art of cooking with fire,” explained Yassine Belkady, the restaurant’s manager. “We use no electricity whatsoever—just fire, wood ovens, and tradition” Everything has that distinctive char, those bold, nearly burnt flavors that taste almost primal. “When you dine here, you can literally smell the wood and rosemary in the air,” he added. The restaurant’s setting matches its culinary panache. By day, the veranda transforms into an airy ambience when its retractable roof opens to Miami’s brilliant skies. Guests enjoy lunch while overlooking the property’s stunning pool, creating what Belkady called “a completely different experience than any other hotel or restaurant in Miami.” 

Beneath the Tree of Life

Mornings here unfold slowly while guests sip on fresh-pressed juices—like the South Beach, a tropical elixir of coconut water, local citrus, mango, and strawberry, or a vitamin-rich Green Juice packed with spinach, kale, ginger, cucumber, celery and green apple. “The tranquility makes it really special,” noted Joshua Rodriguez, Director of Nightlife. “It’s a place where guests can grab a coffee, a light bite and relax or catch up on some emails.” A menu of delicious appetizers is great for snacking throughout the day, including crispy artichokes with sesame yogurt and sourdough breadcrumbs; prime rib empanadas with llajua sauce; and a vegan option of steamed veggie rice with sweet potato and broccoli. Come golden hour, the energy shifts. On weekends from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, resident DJs set the mood as the bar transitions into a laidback sundowner haunt. The CopaCabana cocktail, a tropical indulgence of banana and apricot liqueur, coconut cream, allspice, and Bulleit Rye, is a guest favorite. “People order it because it’s served in a Faena-branded coconut, but it’s the taste that makes them request another one,” said Rodriguez.

Stay In The Know

Fields are required