Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary: Cammisa Buerhaus at Mala
The first solo exhibition of the North American artist Cammisa Buerhaus in Portugal, entitled Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, opened on October 23 at Mala – an independent exhibition venue, coordinated by Sofia Montanha and Henrique Loja.
Buerhaus’ artistic effort is based on performance. The artist reflects her will to involve her own body and the audience – physically or conceptually – in the materialisation of the work. This is certifiable in the exhibition title, which appeals to the myth of a presence paradoxically summoned and unwanted. Her appropriation and reinterpretation of the haunting character of Bloody Mary, in a work that is split between two opposing walls in the exhibition room, invites the audience to appreciate the trap – the choice to enter Cammisa’s space turns into the involvement in the artist’s work. «Two storyboards – You Have Heard Every Word I’ve Said – face each other. One tells the story, the other leads the choreography – one has the body, the other has the face. Mounted on a sheet of mirrored mylar, the spectator reads the performance and becomes the interpreter», write the curators.
The artist also presents two photographs that belong to the series Performance from the Camera. A set of printed tiles, arranged to encourage the audience to interact with the image that is or may be formed: «What You See suggests the mystery of ourselves, and how we try to solve this puzzle».
Mala is the consequence of a reflection on the meaning of exhibiting and the conceptual basis of sharing on which any exhibition rests. A project that began in January 2020 as a nomadic gallery/exhibition/sharing, transported and presented by the curators in different contexts, now begins a new phase of programming in an exhibition venue. Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary kicks off this new chapter of the project.
An independent venue that aims to establish connections in contemporary art through experiences that challenge traditional concepts of exhibition. We can visit Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary at Mala until December 21.
