Presentation

Context: The theme/name of the Museumnacht 2010 is XSXL.

XSXL, points the attention to the measure of people and their size (small & big, young & old). We propose an art intervention that deals with the subject of the taxonomy and investigation of the other (spectator) through a live performance that included measuring,  photography, digital print, video and live street interaction.

Project

Creation of a Taxonomy Lab in the Witte de Withstraat where the artists performed as investigators and portrait makers. In this photography stand the spectators were pictured as exotic indians, while standing behind one of the most relevant paintings of A. Eckhout: ‘Dans van de Tapuya-indianen’. Spectators were measured and taxonomized by the artists and had the opportunity to occupy the place and the role of the other: They became the object of study, the exotic model in the painting.

History

Historical background: The inspiration comes from the Dutch artist Albert Eckhout, whose work is clearly the first realistic depiction of the native population from Latin America. In 1636, he traveled to Dutch Brazil. There, he painted it’s inhabitants and made portraits of natives, slaves and mulattos. His pictures were very much in accordance with the mental image of the natives back in Europe.

ExoticPortrait 2

“ExoticPortrait voor de Witte Aap” is a live street intervention by Ximena Dávalos, Luis Alarcón & Giancarlo Pazzanese. They will perform as investigators and portrait makers, mounting a street laboratory where the spectators will be photographed taking part of one of the most relevant paintings by A. Eckhout: ‘Dans van de Tapuya-indianen’. Passers by will be measured and inventarized by the artists and will have the opportunity to occupy the place and the role of the other.