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ARCHIVE
ORF Lange Nacht der Museen 2024
GUADALUPE ALDRETE
CHAMBERS III. THROUGH THE SURFACE
Performance and installation for the
LANGE NACHT DER MUSEEN, VIENNA
curated by Marcello Farabegoli
5.10.2024, 6:00 to 12:00 pm
Installation 5.10.2024 – 13.10.2024
ABOUT ‘CHAMBER III. THROUGH THE SURFACE’
The performative installation ‘chamber III. through the surface’ is the continuation of a series of works by the Vienna-based Mexican artist Guadalupe Aldrete, which deal with the various physical aspects of cultural memory. It is a ‘performative landscape’ comprising five consecutive performances of 20 minutes each. The artist takes her own background as the main source of inspiration, but also refers to general human themes and the cross-generational nature of somatic memory.
The focus of ‘chamber III. through the surface’ is to explore the relationships between family members and their intangible heritage that is passed down through generations. In the third part in particular, the artist questions the roles and traumas that we ‘inherit’ from our families. In this way, the artist aims to strengthen the recipients’ capacity for self-determination and open up a conscious approach to their cultural, social and familial heritage. At the same time, she is looking for ways to break these patterns in order to enable a fulfilled life and prevent trauma from being passed on.
In this sense, Aldrete’s installation questions the connections between personal and traditional experiences and helps to contribute to a deeper understanding of intergenerational memory and its close connection to cultural heritage. Last but not least, the artist’s work attempts to gain insights into our human capacity for transcendence.
POINTS OF CONTACT WITH VIENNA ACTIONISM
Guadalupe Aldrete was invited by the WAM – Vienna Actionism Museum to realise a performance as part of the Long Night of Museums 2024 and to reflect on the similarities and differences between her artistic practice and Viennese Actionism. At the centre of the discussion is Guadalupe Aldrete’s use of her own body and its negotiation through a transformative painting practice. From a non-binary, feminist perspective, Guadalupe Aldrete critically observes how in Viennese Actionism the body of the Other, in particular the feminised and objectified body, manifests itself as a projection surface for traumas and frustrations.
The artist recognises a specific reference to her own practice in the work of Günter Brus and the use of his own body to performatively materialise ‘invisible’ factors. This connecting line resonates with the space at WAM, where Brus’ ‘Zerreißprobe (Stress Test)’ is regularly on display as part of the exhibition ‘WHAT IS VIENNA ACTIONISM?’ and where the artist is now realising ‘chamber III. through the surface’.
ABOUT GUADALUPE ALDRETE’S ARTISTIC PRACTICE
Guadalupe Aldrete creates performative landscapes using performance, painting, installation, video and photography Her works are part of an integral and performative production process, which is reflected in the presence of certain actions and materials in the various works Aldrete sees her body as a field of experimentation, a rehearsal and a tool.
The artist’s practice serves as a mirror that reflects the universal threads that connect us all: the relationship to our ancestral heritage, the profound effects of intergenerational trauma and the resilience that comes from overcoming physical, mental and emotional obstacles Through her work, she invites us to consider our own stories within the complex web of human experience Guadalupe Aldrete thus opens up a dialogue about the connections between past, present and future and their impact on our individual and collective identities.
Guadalupe Aldrete was born in Mexico and has lived in Vienna since 2016. Her work has been presented internationally, including at the Infinite Present Festival in Ljubljana (2024), the PCP at the Science Gallery London (2023), the Meno Parkas Gallery in Kaunas (2019 and 2021) and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art MMSU in Rijeka (2018). Her selected solo exhibitions include ‘chamber II. reflecting river’ at Mz Balthasar Lab (Vienna, 2024) and ‘Un Pueblo’ at eindorf Kunst Raum (2023). Aldrete was resident at the Austrian Women’s Museum Hittisau (2021) and at the Lushan Art Museum in China (2018). In 2023 she received the TQW ‘Stipendium Körper- & Performancepraktiken’.
Guadalupe Aldrete
CHAMBERS III. THROUGH THE SURFACE
Images © kunst-dokumentation.com
Video © kunst-dokumentation.com