South Body
Carlos Martiel (Cuba)
Description
5th Biennial of the Americas, Denver, Colorado, United States
Curated by Marisa Caichiolo
A naked body lies on the floor in a fetal position but in a state of repose reminiscent of a 19th-century academic drawing. A violent detail interrupts this serene scene: a small American flag pinned to the subject’s shoulder. While the gesture is almost visually insignificant, it represents a potent wound in Carlos’s body. What previously seemed a peaceful image is transformed into a desolate panorama: a body that has surrendered to the domination of the colonial wound.
This artwork is the second installment of the Vancouver Biennale Billboard Project, following Carlos Martiel’s Gran Poder. It is commissioned in conjunction with the publication of Carlos Martiel: Great Nation, co-published by Temblores Publicaciones and Vancouver Biennale.
Edited by Vania Macias Osorno, Ana Gabriela García. Introduction by Keyna Eleison. Text by Eduardo Carrera, Jill Lane. Interview by Jorge Sánchez. Translated by Kimberly Kruge, Odina Skartados.
This publication brings together essays and a conversation that, alongside visual documentation of more than 40 works, activate urgent debates on race, migration, and borders.
Photo: Jordan Spencer
