Tania Bruguera
186.5 x 75 x 78 cm
Displacement (1998–1999)
This performance piece channels extraordinary physical and mental stamina to explore exile, uprooting, and fragility through a charged political lens. Bruguera crafts an immersive encounter that seeps into viewers, forging a visceral "lived memory" where the lines between artwork and existence dissolve. It stands as a raw testament, fusing art with reality to mend inner wounds or ignite critical self-examination in witnesses.
Rooted in Afro-Caribbean syncretic faiths, the work sees Bruguera incarnate the Nkisi Nkondi—a potent fetish entity from Cuban lore that fulfills pleas in return for vows and tributes, only to hunt down and retaliate against oath-breakers. Her version manifests as a colossal garment layered with Cuban soil and studded with jutting nails, each spike evoking the fervent appeals of supplicants. Donning this burdensome form, she stirs to life and prowls Havana's avenues, enacting a hunt for her "betrayers," turning her form into a vessel that merges personal turmoil with communal critique.
In the end, the piece elevates performance beyond mere ideas, prioritizing tangible societal and ideological ripple effects—redefining the form with interventions that echo profoundly, far past fleeting stories.
Provenance
Private Collection Connecticut > Rhona Hoffman Gallery, NYC > Cernuda ArteExhibitions
“II Bienal Barro de América,” Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela, 1998.
“Obsesiones,” Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba, 1998.
“Lo que me corresponde,” Iturralde Gallery, Los Angeles, California, United States, January 5 – February 29, 1999.
“Molino Cubano,” Watermill Foundation, Water Mill, New York, United States, August 3, 2003.
“The Hours – Visual Arts in Contemporary Latin America,” Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland, October 5, 2005 – January 15, 2006.
“Tania Bruguera – Installation / Performances,” Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany, July 22 – September 17, 2006.
“Transfigured Worlds: Kongo Power Figure and Bruguera’s Displacement Costume,” Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, New York, United States, January 28 – April 11, 2010.
“Tania Bruguera: On the Political Imaginary,” Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, New York, United States, January 28 – April 11, 2010.
“Selections of Cuban Modern and Contemporary Protest Art,” Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, Florida, United States, July – October 2021.
Literature
“Daros - The Hours - Visual Arts in Contemporary Latin America,” Dublin, 2005.
“Tania Bruguera: On the Political Imaginary,” edited by Helaine Posner, Gerardo Mosquera, and Carrie Lambert-Beatty, New York, 2010 : page 70 (illustrated).
“IMPORTANT CUBAN ARTWORKS, Volume Thirteen,” Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, Florida, page 171 (illustrated).