Myths are stories deeply rooted and handed down in society, expressed personally as beliefs, obsessions, and fantasies. They derive their impressive effect from a paradox: "That which never existed and yet is always present," as Sallust described myths in ancient times.
The Capitalocene, a term appropriately described by Donna Haraway, frames the period in which we are living. She redefines the Anthropocene, the geological epoch marked by extreme ecological changes induced by human activity, as the Capitalocene. This term more accurately depicts a geopolitical period of significant ecological shifts since the rise of capitalism.
Pervasive
Relationships
Of
Xploitation and
Ynterconnectedness
PROXY
Charcoal Drawing, 309 cm x 234 cm (2023)
VR - Installation, variable (2023)
'The dream of patriarchy produces monsters'
Charcoal Drawing, 103 cm x 78 cm (2022)
VR - Installation, variable (2023)
In Cooperation with Lea Torcelli (Sound)
Support by Maximilian Selvi (Unity Developer) and Niels Bendix Neumann (Sound Mixing).
It is in the rise of capitalism that a perverse double moral logic (human-white-western supremacy) interwove Christianity with neoliberalism. Capitalism was founded on a sexist (Patriarchy) and racist logic (Colonialism), serving the profit and control of the Western white male. In seeking to understand this, in this drawings I’ve been looking to the pillars of modernity such as freedom, individuality, peace or progress through the lens of myths: “that which never existed and yet is always present”.
Throwing light to the critters of modernity. In the mids of an infinite possibility of stories that by now, in this series, remain in the dark. Modenrity has decided to create these ones: the myths of the capitalocene. The drawings depict dynamic landscapes made of bodies, an island of bodies, a body of bodies that occupy the entire picture to capture you in it for a while, or to some, for many whiles. I'm inspired by Foucault's critical theory of power-knowledge and Silvia Federici's feminist theory on the exploitation and accumulation at the expense of female labor.
'Burning from inside a body of water'
Charcoal Drawing, 103 cm x 78 cm (2022)
Over the three years, I have explored movement and space to reflect on power dynamics, delving into contemporary mythologies that shape our society, such as the myths of infinite resources, the individual, love, freedom, and peace. This project aims to explore archetypes, semiotics, and mythological themes from a contemporary feminist perspective. Ursula K. Le Guin's perspective on the transformative power of storytelling, particularly in speculative fiction, underpins this project. By challenging prevailing norms and values, these stories aim to question the status quo and propose new ways of thinking and being. The drawings offer a visual re-evaluation of power, identity, and community by presenting dream-like scenarios where monsters, animals, and fantastical beings populate a dynamic, liminal space, underscoring the necessity of acknowledging our entanglement with the shared, more-than-human world.
'Serendipitous blindness'
Charcoal Drawing, 103 cm x 78 cm (2022)
These artworks explore themes of abduction, strangulation, escape, and subjugation, juxtaposed with notions of victory, conquest, and emancipation. Donna Haraway's exploration of monsters through biopolitics, biotechnology, and feminist theory provides a theoretical framework, emphasizing the complex narratives and situated knowledges surrounding these beings as indicators of possible worlds for which we bear responsibility.
In 2023, I expanded the project into the virtual realm, enhancing the viewer’s experience through VR. This medium allows viewers to navigate freely around the monsters, triggering sounds, and voices, and altering perspectives, thus uncovering hidden aspects invisible in the drawings.
