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Where: Elam School of Fine Arts, Mondrian Building, University of Auckland.
When: December 2004.
About Show: This was an installation exhibition submission for my end of year exam.
My research is essentially driven by an interest in paradoxes, contradictions and ambivalence within Brazilian culture and society, particularly those relative to the parallels between carnival and religion.
I am interested in exploring issues related to what is or is not considered pagan, a topic which leads to questioning legitimacy and authenticity within a social manifestation which incorporates both Christian and African forms of celebration and worship.
With this as my base I aim to merge internal and external cultural factors: assembling, collating and hybridizing to reconfigurate traditional visual vocabulary and re-invent conventional iconography.
In my work I reference a multitude of elements typical to Brazilian culture: Amongst others the traditional woodcut techniques from the crudely made woodcut “Folhetim” papers from the Northeast, Christian religion in the altar-like arrangement, “Ama-de-leite” (wet nurses) from colonial times, and African Voodoo Art of the slaves brought to Brazil from the Ivory Coast . All of these elements fuse and operate in a strange harmony within the condensed and crazy time of carnival, marked by spectacle, the fervent veneration of icons, profanity and a commemoration of social groups which are usually marginalized.
In the past I have used woodcut prints in a cut-out wall installation format to communicate my concept. In the future I would like the work to spill down to the floors and up the ceiling, involving the entire exhibition space and inviting the audience to immerse themselves in the work in a more intense and intimate way.
The work presented in National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries is a selection of works from my original installation.