Telenovela

Art at Americas Society is pleased to present Telenovela, an exhibition that explores the psychological and philosophical principle of the melodrama genre. Telenovelas have a cathartic social role: allowing the viewer to experience the emotional drama without facing the real-life consequences of the protagonist. The scripts and plotlines advance difficult social topics, such as identity and paternal recognition and racial and class tensions. The exhibition aims to demonstrate that telenovelas are a global phenomenon transcending geography, social stratification, or cultural categories and offering viewers–particularly diasporic individuals–both a form of escapism and a connection to home.

Telenovela is made in close collaboration with the artist Pablo Helguera, who has pioneered the exploration of the topic with his aesthetic piece Instituto de la Telenovela (2007-present). Through collaboration and mutual shared research, resources, bibliography, both Helguera’s piece and Telenovela have shaped and informed one another.

The exhibition offers a unique chance to recognize the influence and value of so-called low culture beyond geographic and class barriers, expanding cultural representation in academic realms to a wider, more diverse audience.

This exhibition will open Fall 2026.