Mercedes Azpilicueta
The faux-cul, 2019Costume-sculpture (cotton, cord, jersey, elastic, side squeeze buckle, sock, wood beams)106 × 212 × 150 cm (41 23⁄32 × 83 15⁄32 × 59 1⁄16 inches)
For this textile installations, Azpilicueta's starting point is the story of Lucia Miranda as told by the female nineteenth century Argentinian writer Eduarda Mansilla. Lucia de Miranda is part of the colonial myth of South America. She was the first 'cautiva', a European woman captured by indigenous people on her arrival in Argentina in the 16th century. Eduarda Mansilla wrote a version of the story portraying both the indigenous protagonists and Miranda herself as strong and empowered. In Azpilicueta's costumes the two women meet across different centuries and continents. The costumes create the atmosphere of the 19th century, while the story happened 300 years earlier.