Extra Credit - Under Our Skin

On the evening of October 12th, I got the chance to visit the Rueff Gallery at PAO Hall to watch the performance and art exhibition featuring the artists Veronica Pena and Hector Canonge. I was informed that the event was co-sponsored by Ruefff Galleries and the Latino Cultural Center at Purdue University. When I came, the event was about to start but I had the chance to look around the gallery at their artworks in the form of video presentations. After that, the two artist started their talk and presentation about their work individually, before talking about their collaboration together. They also had a Q & A session at the end of the talk so people could ask more questions at more depth about their work. After that, we were told to wait for about 20 minutes for them to prepare the live collaborative performance piece that took place at the other side of the gallery. After they had everything set up, we got to watch the performance live, the wait was totally worth it!

Under Our Skin: Body Territory in Performance Art is an exhibition featuring Performance Art works by artists Veronica Pena, who was born in Spain and Hector Canonge, who was born in Argentina. The collaborative performance piece called "De La Ajeno" or "of Others" explored Hispanic stereotypes in relation to national and personal identity. It consists of a selection of videos of performances and outdoor interventions exploring notions of identity and migration. Based on perceptions that Americans have on Spanish and Latina people and cultures, also taking into account the history ties between Spain and South America, the two artists create a performance that establishes possible dialogues and readings of otherness. Using references and appropriating popular hispanic traditions and practices, the artist produced a dynamic performative environment where games of passion, power, control, domination, conquest and mutual understanding are proposed. The performance consists of five actions marked by movement, sound, and the use of artifacts (flowers, flashlights, tomatoes) created by the artists. Every action evokes a movement and personal experience of the artists' lives in the United States, Europe and Latin America. It was a refreshing performance to me as I have never watched something like that in the past.