Meus Caros Amigos – part II


2020

Video installation (55 min), 8 gelatine silver prints (40x50cm each), postcards, performance (40 min)

Analogue photos: Nayara Leite
Documentation photos: Maya Økland, Nayara Leite and Thor Brødreskift

The second part of Meus Caros Amigos was shown in August 2020 at KODE 2, Bergen.

The prints are portraits I took – during a trip to Brazil – of some of the friends to whom I had sent the letters in the first part of the project. For logistical issues, I couldn’t meet 2 of these friends in person, but they were represented on the 2 gaps on the wall. The video installation consists of a 55-minute video piece split between 2 screens and shown on a loop. It’s a compilation of the 10 letters I wrote to these friends and the 5 responses I’ve received so far – all read by me in Portuguese with the English translations in the form of subtitles. The screens are in conversation with each other: my letters are shown on one screen, and those of my friends on the other, but not simultaneously. A few seconds of silence have been inserted when a particular friend hasn't sent a reply.

Click here to watch a 5-minute excerpt from the video piece: https://vimeo.com/466083580

The artwork also calls for donations to the Marielle Franco Institute. Marielle was a black lesbian Brazilian councilwoman who was brutally assassinated in March 2018. The investigation led to the imprisonment of two military officers – one of whom is none other than Bolsonaro’s neighbour. The person who ordered her assassination remains unknown. The Marielle Franco Institute is committed to keeping her legacy alive and fighting for justice. Please visit the website for more information: http://support.institutomariellefranco.org

In November of the same year, the work was adapted into a performance, in which I read aloud some of the correspondence I had exhanged with my friends. The performance was presented at Bergen Kjøtt as part of BEK’s event Latent City.














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