Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

This essay revolves around the question of domestic violence and include the participation of women who have been both “victims” and “survivors” of said violence. Building upon Jacques Rancière’s theoretical developments on the articulation between aesthetics and politics, my work analyzes the way in which Moysés’ production conveys a particular sisterhood aesthetics, as conceptualized by Mexican anthropologist Marcela Lagarde. Some of the questions explored in this essay are as follows: How to accomplish a work of art that addresses issues of violence without it turning into a re-establishment of that same violence? Which representations of women’s bodies and what notion of “victim” does Moyses’ oeuvre convey? In which ways do her performances problematize and re-signify the traditional conception –reaffirmed by the media—of victim? What can we say about the political efficacy of these actions? The analysis of Moysés’ performances forms part of a walk-through of performance art, and the debates around Latin American feminist art. At the same time, this essay is part of a broader project that investigates Latin American contemporary artists who stage collective performances against diverse types of gender-based violence, and whose works point toward the construction of new conceptualizations of the victim category.