Hungarian cultural portal
Created by the Argentine artist Bettina Costa, the artwork on the asphalt of Budapest recalls the eight basic steps of tango in the streets of Buenos Aires.
Anyone who has ever walked through Buenos Aires has probably come across a «Vereda del Tango».
With this representation on the asphalt that symbolizes the eight basic steps of dance, anyone can learn to dance tango or, at least, try to.
The «Veredas del Tango» are found in various districts of Buenos Aires and
they are the symbol of the «City of Tango». They are meant to encourage people to practice a few tango steps. The most famous vereda is located on Avenida Callao 1078 in Buenos Aires and carries «Km 0» as identification.
With the project «Vereda del Tango – Km 11939», the artist Bettina Costa tries to reproduce the tango atmosphere in Budapest. In front of the Argentine Embassy, at 96 Andrássy Avenue, she painted the hungarian version of a «Vereda del Tango».
It is identified with «Km 11939» because it is exactly at this distance from the «Vereda del Tango – Km 0».
Bettina Costa was born in Argentina; the cradle of tango. However she never paid much attention to this part of her culture. She considered tango as something «for old people». She was never interested in tango until she emigrated.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Argentina was full of immigrants seeking their fortune in that country and hoping to return to Europe or bring their families across the ocean.
The tango lyrics reflect the deep feeling of loss of these immigrants and the nostalgia for the people and places they left behind. Tango helped them to forget their worries.
I am also an immigrant; I came to Switzerland for a quite different reason. I was never homesick, but perhaps unconsciously I was looking for something not to lose my roots. With tango, I found it.
The last few years the artist have intensively dealt with the subject tango. Besides painting, she began to work with collages and stencils, the latter influenced by street art.
The first «Vereda del Tango» outside from Argentina is located in Rheinfelden, Switzerland, exactly 11255 Km away from the «Vereda del Tango – Km 0» in Buenos Aires.
Then, followed carpet installations: shoe-shapes cut on carpet and placed on the floor or on a wall; during the Art Basel week 2017 the project «Cancha de Tango»: tango steps marked with whiting spray on rolling-grass or the installation «Tangország» last year during the Art Market Budapest.
From August 26, anyone can try the Vereda del Tango at 96 Andrássy Avenue!
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