TRANSITANDO

 

The name of the exhibition refers to the artists’ Nina Kunan and Mari Velasco transit through R.A.R.O’s art studios to develop their projects. This experience is to be understood as the essence of the creative process itself; during the residency program, the artists have improved artistically as well as personally.

 

Mari Velasco (Brazil), is a curator for the LGBT Culture, Art and Memory Institute of Brazil. During her residency program, she collected objects from some of the most important Pride parades:  São Paulo, World Pride Madrid, and Barcelona. With these materials, she has worked on the stories behind waste, analyzing similarities between LGBT parades.

 

Mari’s work addresses two central problematics emerging from the parades: that of the role of women and the movement’s commodification.

She posits that there can be no diversity without women playing a leading part in the fight for LGBT rights. “Ain’tNoRevolutionWithoutWomen” and “Without lesbians, it’s not my revolution” are now the slogans circulating in social media.

 

The other salient issue is the participation of big brands in the celebrations, which means the incorporation of the LGBTIQ movement and sexual diversity to capitalism and the market economy. In many parts of the globe, there have existed for decades political groups that denounce commodification of LGBTI rights. Several demonstrations against LGBTI commodification have been held annually in the suburbs of Madrid, under names such as "Alternative Pride" or "Critical Pride."

 

Without abandoning paint and collage, and using the waste she has found, her artistic creations are a search for new meanings and for ways to develop the artist’s own LGTBQI memory. She manages to mix documentary, criticism, social issues and art.

 

During her residency, Mari Velasco has worked at La Nevera and Basurama

 

R.A.R.O Madrid EXHIBITION

Transitando - Mari Velasco & Nina Kunan  29th July - 3rd August 2017. Galería Rizoma (Lavapiés, 22)