Metamorphosis

Which artists Did I contextualise to do my Performance?

After a few tutorials with teachers, I did research on which artists I could have as a reference for inspiration and contextualise issues related women’s domestic Violence. My search was in two artists:

After a few tutorials with teachers, I did research on which artists I could have as a reference for inspiration and contextualise issues related women’s domestic Violence. My search was in two artists:

-Nan Goldin: Nan’s scene evokes pain and it is emphasised by her standard photographic technique of heavy flash and strong colours. Nan’s lipstick can also be seen as an act of defiance. She said: “ I wanted it to be about every man and every relationship and the potential of violence in every relationship.” Nan’s intentions are admirable; if her self-portrait can speak to people affected by domestic violence then maybe something can be done to inspire people to take action. “I often fear that men and women are irrevocably strangers to each other, irreconcilably unsuited, almost as if they were from different planets. But there is an intense need for coupling in spite of it all.” Even if relationships are destructive, people cling together … The tension this creates seems to be a universal problem: the struggle between autonomy and dependency. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency begins and ends with this premise … I’m trying to figure out what makes coupling so difficult.”

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/nan-goldin-2649
I chose Nan Goldin by the way she showed awareness of violence through her self-portrait, so I inspired to do the makeup. If your self-portrait can talk to people about violence and its strong red lipstick and can be seen as a challenge, so I think my performance as a whole, can also talk to the people affected and transmit consciousness to others.

Cindy Sherman: Is an artist known for her conceptual self-portraits in various scenarios that parody stereotypes of women The panoply (range) of characters and settings (and scenarios) is drawn from sources of popular culture: old movies, television soaps (manufacturers) and pulp magazines, with Sherman pictures on paper some idols of TV and movies.
Her mood early work ranges from quiet introspection to provocative sensuality. In the early 1990s made sharp caricatures of characters depicted through art history, appearing as a grotesque creature in period costume. His approach is an ironic message that creation is impossible without the use of prototypes; identity lies in appearance and not in reality. In this, the artist assimilated while maintaining a critical, visual tyranny of television, advertising, and magazines. Through a number of different works, Sherman has raised (up) challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society.

Sherman by her self-portrait in photographs took her to worry about the role of women in society. I also used my self-portrait to explore the theme of violence with makeup to use in Lens Based Media.

Self–portraits form part of my painting practice by use strong and vibrant colours in my paintings; it was the influence of living in the warm climate of Brazil too. In most of my performances I also make use of my physical body, I do not represent myself, I am only an instrument in raising issues and awareness.

In November 2013, our class was doing an exhibition by means of experience only among the students with our teacher Andreas Vaz, each of us analysed the work one of the other and given our own opinion. We were free to choose the location inside the gallery for exhibition and were analysed by the teacher through our choice. My presentation of the performance was in front of a small kitchen inside the space, which I used a red large kitchen towel for exhibit a picture I painted on the subject of my Domestic Violence performance. All these details were analysed, including the colour of my clothes, as follows in detail the analysis:

The proximity of kitchen, it may be a reference to the domestic violence, the red colour of towel represented the burning love in a relationship between two people, and also the bloodshed in a violent act; and dress violet, recalled the passion and death of Christ by the act violent on crucifixion of Christ by Pilate, and this colour also convey sadness, pain, and death.

This was a valuable experience for me to know how to choose the space inside a gallery to view, and this same space also has its meaning.

As part of my collaboration in the 2nd year of Fine Art – UCS, first I did an interview with a Portuguese woman who had suffered domestic violence at her wedding about 30 years. This lady told me her story of suffering for a long time, and when she decided to put a stop to this situation, some of their 3 children not accepted her decision to leave her husband, already sick with cancer and he died three months after her leaves home and leave everything behind and go in search of a new love found. She ensures that lives now a fairy tale, by happiness today. I just hear her story, and I let her feel the will to the narrative what happened; she cried and told me: “I feel relieved to be able to tell my story and if possible transmit to other women my experience and courage to reverse the story of violence.” After hearing her, I communicated her that I would make a presentation to the public in Portuguese restaurant, addressing the subject domestic violence, and this would be a way for me to try raise awareness the people about this issue.

My presentation was a dinner party with a group of women my friends and other people present at the Portuguese restaurant in Thetford also were able to watch the performance. There were a lot of laughs, either perhaps to relax the nervousness of some women by to think the action performance was funny at a public place in which I did the performance or some of them identified themselves within the action. However, sometimes I could not hold the smile, Instead of showing suffering. This was a mix of everything while I could hear someone ask for silence because the subject was serious. After I finished the act, I ordered the collaboration of dinner participants to write their declaration on the subject. By the participation and the public attention, I can say that my goal was achieved.

This performance was the same as I did in the plinth UCS, however, in a different environment. It was really a party, as it was the proposal of the theme. At this day, I was wearing the same clothes and make-up like of the first performance, but I did not use the mask. I acted like if my partner was beating me. However I brought for this event a subject matter already known to everyone, but despite this it is worth always strengthen the feminine consciousness. Afterward, I asked for the collaboration of the women at dinner for writes something about what they think about the domestic violence. I left the reflection for each of the women: How long a woman should be submissive to her partner with this violent attitude?