Purification : Research & Exhibition

Abstract: In recent years I have been working on topics related to Post-colonialism in South America, as well as the conditions of immigrants in Europe. The main interest of my work involves questions about my roots and personal stories of migration. This situation has been the engine of my art for the last ten years. Through my installations, I have tried to express or represent some certain facts, that have marked the post-colonial situation in Latin America and Europe over the last years.  The slavery and exploitation of illegal labor are common working conditions for many people in South America, especially for those located in the jungles and slums. The Indigenous culture -its languages, values and traditions- have begun to disappear and been displaced by Western culture. Here in Europe, on the other hand, I feel 'alien' to the territory of my ancestors, due to the fact that my family comes from European immigrants in Argentina. Illegal labor has been also a part of my life, having experienced the condition of 'otherness' in Europe. Therefore, this project reflects upon my personal experience in relation to the unfair conditions of labor in autochthonous communities, researching the concept of 'otherness' taken from Post-colonial theories. It is for this purpose, that my methodologies include self-reflection, parallelism and metaphor. One of my purposes is toreveal those 'fake stories' used by the European acculturation in South America. I called these fake stories 'strategies', as they were used by the Colony for the reconstruction of a new National Identity in those countries. Therefore, convincing the Indigenous culture to adopt Western culture. The parts of my essay are a metaphor of different stages of narcotic's production, best called 'mobile labs' of the Amazon jungle.I have taken this concept to tell my story and to build up the laboratory as final representation. The first stage of this process is to weigh and measure the ingredients, followed by a mixture of substances and chemicals. Once mixed, it proceeds to three stages of filtering and purification. Then it is subjected to a press for semi-solid consistency and introduced into the oven to reach the compact state. The blocks will finally be packed with plastic film and adhesive tape, protecting them from adverse environmental conditions during transport and storage. Each chapter of this essay is also connected to the 'machines' constructed for my solo exhibition, following the same steps of Purification. Through this essay, I wanted to broaden my concept relating three main aspects: the colonial strategies of domination in South America, my personal work experience in Europe, and finally the unfair working conditions in marginal societies. Each of the 'machines' constructed for my installation is functional, ready to be activated according to the different parts of the cooking process and as a representation of a 'production line' in the system of labor. I also have chosen to wrap my body, as well as carefully chosen representative objects of the popular culture of South America, to finally pack them in cling film. As a result of this process of Purification, I have produced the 'final products' ready to be consumed here in the Western European countries.