The silent resistance of Ana Amorim

In the tranquility and predictability of routines, gestures of resistance can also be hidden, as revealed by the work of Ana Amorim (Sao Paulo, 1956), who has turned repetition and daily recording into a complete declaration of intentions. Now, the Cerezales Antonino y Cinia Foundation is hosting the retrospective 'Contar Rutinas', which covers four decades of her production.

The exhibition, curated by Jorge Blasco Gallardo , brings together a selection of 23 works of various media and formats that are articulated in two fundamental practices: 'Mental Maps' and 'Counting Seconds'. The former are drawings and embroidery that document daily experiences since the 1980s, while the latter are performative acts in which the artist records the passage of seconds with horizontal strokes. It is through reiteration that Amorim structures time, but also transforms it into a tool for reflection on the human condition.

'Counting Time Out Loud', 'Writing Seconds', 'Counting Seconds', Ana Amorim (1988-1989)

It is a simple and complex work. Amorim's routines, mechanical, are at the same time an act of resistance against the transience of modern life. This methodology, which began with the 10-Year Performance Project (1988-1997), became a vital practice and every night, Amorim recorded his day in notebooks. Later, these records became monumental canvases that synthesize a year of experiences.

Amorim's actions often take place in spaces laden with symbolism, places of conflict or relevant historical situations, thus turning her works into a voice for collective memory and protest. An example of this is 'Not in My Name', a piece that was born from a banner displayed by parents in a demonstration against the US attack on Afghanistan after 9/11. The banner bore the phrase “Not in our son's name” and became a cry of denunciation from parents who had lost their son during the attack. Amorim collects a large number of images and media headlines that promoted and defended violence and with which she did not want to feel represented, making her work also a political act that questions media manipulation and denunciation.

His lists and notebooks seem endless, for Amorim repetition can be a way to delve deeper into meaning and at the same time a liberation, against those who understand and conceive of routine as a type of prison. 'Contar Rutinas', which will be open until March, presents us with a vital and artistic trajectory that rethinks the relationship with time, memory and vindicates the smallest gestures.

[row74da]