AMAZONAS 2004

Performance. Latino Artists Round Table. New York. (2004).

The war on drugs of more than 30 years has contributed to increasing violence, driven production, and increased consumption. The United States’ Plan Colombia, which proposes the fumigation of
plantations with toxic products will create irreparable environmental damage to the Amazon and Andean zone and serious illnesses among Indigenous groups, farmers, and civilians.
The names of pesticides are projected in alternating order on the gallery’s wall: fusarium, oxysporum, glyphosate. Simultaneously, I cut my right hand’s fingertips and write “AMAZON” in blood on the wall.

In front of a New York City public, I try to raise awareness that war is not the way, the way forward is to educate people not to consume.

1 MAYO 1981 - 1 FEBRERO 2013

Performance. Mandragoras Art Space, New York, New York, USA. Duration: 40 minutes.

Photo: Agata Domanska / Video:Ana Devora

From a chaotic past, to a present of systematized violence, one must look in the mirror to see that the reality we are shown is a programmed illusion. A world where socioeconomic problems continue to generate violence. Where systematized wars and pre-emptive wars with noble motives such as killing in the name of peace, democracy, or in the name of God. Using the media as a tool to inject panic, invent dangers, and create enemies where there are none. A distraction strategy aimed at diverting attention and justify massacres of civilian populations.

During these 30 years, I have been a witness and have been part of said chaotic history, full of falsehood. I have seen how those who wield power have weaponized wealth through the economy of implanted wars.

ANÓNIMO 5 1982-2014

Performance. 19 Bienal Paiz. Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala. Photo: Manuel Chavajay / Video: Francisco Quiacain

Initially conceived in 1982, this performance utilized my body as a healing element from imminent world chaos. There is a desire to identify myself with Mother Earth, heal the planet through my body as an artist and at the same time to resurrect my artistic body through this planet.
This performance is made of three parts and the shore of Lake Atitlán, a symbolic area, does it as it is sacred and filled with a historic past of violence and exploitation. Part one: The ritual performed with a Mayan shaman, in which forgiveness is asked from Mother Earth, the spirits and the natural elements in order to be allowed in to her. Flowers, fire, rocks, wood, corn-based drinks and incense are used.

Part two: Medical intervention. The doctor inserts in the artistic body a urinary and anal catheter, as well as nasal-gastric oxygen, and wrappers my abdomen with gauze.
Part three: A one-meter deep spiral waits for me. Surrounded by corn kettles and beans, I walk towards the bottom of the spiral. I lie down and blend in with the natural elements. I plug in the anal, vaginal and oxygen catheters to the ground. The serum bags are placed on the ground.
When the serum bag is empty, I get up and walk towards the surface, emerging from the gut of the spiral.

EXTRACTIVISMO 2015

Performance. ‘Engagement / Healing’, Prometeo Gallery di Ida Pasini, Milán, Italia, 2015.

Photo and video: Andrea Sartori

I have observed that ahead of social injustice and ecological unbalance, persists a neo-colonialist system connected to the extravismo as an economic model. There is a desperate eagerness by large international corporations to extract natural resources at a large scale, without any regards to the destruction of basic life needs, from oxygen, to water, soil, trees and the sense of a collective existence which is connected to Mother Earth.

In this performance, I use Hirudineas, or leeches, as a symbol of predators. Over a medical stretcher covered with a white blanket, the artistic body lies naked. A specialist places 10 leeches, which will extract blood from my body for 10 minutes. Next, the specialist removes the Hirudineas and places them in a water-filled container. During these 10 minutes, blood dripsover my skin. Next, the specialist fully covers my body with a white silk blanket and the blood trails, which remain after the leeches bite, are absorbed through the blanket. After 5 minutes, I slowly remove the blanket and I leave it on the stretcher. I slowly sit up straight, allowing blood threads to drip down my skin.

CONCIENCIA DOPADA 2016

Performance. Achievement Award 2016 CIFO Grants and Comissions Program. Liquid Sensibilities. Miami, USA.

Video: Alvaro de la Rosa – XILA Sound: Wolfgang Gil. Photo: Oriol Tarridas

Being a female artist has allowed me to create and engage in a dialogue between my own
feminine body and social-political, environmental and psychological problems.

In Doped consciousness, I propose my body, mind and emotions as a collective body. A body of a fragmented consciousness, that reflects distortion and dissatisfaction, affected by the loss of identity and its own existence. The collective body is constantly subjected to subjugating and alienating bombings. The centers of power, through established psychological mechanisms, create fear and paranoia. In Doped Consciousness, my body will be a tool of communication and self-reflection; a vehicle for rebellion and freedom. The representative body evokes the audience to shake off imposed behaviors by which we are herd, as lifeless and frightful beings, into established models by those in power.

Doped Consciousness will be developed in a 3 x 3 m square ring space. A tube will be placed on each corner of the ring. Each tube will be 60 cm in height and will be interconnected by an
electric system. The tubes are a security alarm system with lasers, not visible to the naked eye, which will protect the ring area in which the artist will be located (the collective body). Inside the ring there will be a spiral structure made out of barbed wire which will hang from the ceiling.
The spiral will measure 70 cm in diameter and will be covered in white gauze.
The space will be surrounded by an audio recording of a week’s worth of news from different
media outlets. The artist will remain outside the ring dressed with a white silk tunic for about 5
min. She will then walk towards the center of the ring and will engage the alarm system. She will remain standing inside the ring for approximately 5 min while listening to the news. Next, she will enter the barbed wire spiral and will tie four threads hanging from her white tunic onto the barbed wire. Thus, the artist will end up trapped inside the barbed wire, where she will remain for another 5 min. The performance will end when the collective body and its conscience areable to break free from all of the security systems.