Sustenazo (Lament II)
Monika Weiss
By enacting ancient gestures of lamentation, Monika Weiss's video Sustenazo (Lament II) considers contemporary contexts of apathy, indifference, invisibility, and historical amnesia within the public forum.
Although a specific war crime in part motivated the artist to communicate the devastating effects of totalitarian invasions and their inhuman consequences, lament is the carrier of the emotional states of grief and sorrow endured by humanity throughout time. Weiss, an internationally celebrated New York-based artist, records and composes sound in her videos from testimonies, recitations, and musical instruments, including her own piano improvisations.
Music, a principal element in Sustenazo (Lament II) merges diverse narratives together into polyphonic compositions.
The artist will perform in the gallery at the opening of the exhibition, which was curated by Julia P. Herzberg.