Artificio is a Spanish word that means Artifice, which also means: pretense, play, trick,lie, sleight of hand, ruse, deception and deceit. The performer is trying to project an idea which can be interpreted by many in many different ways. I witnessed her performance the night of May the 7th - at this entertaining zone, a landmark known as La Guancha, (located in the City of Ponce, Puerto Rico), which has a large walking deck right next to the ocean, a Yacht Club across the bay, a watchtower from which tourists and visitors can enjoy a great view of the whole area and a Fishing Club.
I tried to capture with my camera the sequence of most of what she did.
She is an emerging performer artist in the south part of Puerto Rico, from the town of Adjuntas, who is heading toward New York City to do a Masters degree in the Visual Arts. She is a very talented and original artist who has been breaking up with the rules of traditional concepts in the local regional art, by becoming a performer, an art which is not fully appreciated, accepted or understood by most people, specially in places in which such art has not yet become the usual thing in cultural events.
She was the first performer to appear unscheduled at the 21st Ponce Biennale held in November of 2008 at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, a fact that gave this event a different outlook.
Actually, I can say that the history of this gender of art in the Ponce district cannot be written without overlooking the accomplishments of this young artists early contributions in to this complicated field. She has to my view a fresh new style in this form of art. Her works takes a lot of planning before she chooses the right place in where to carry on her performance. She likes to do her performance at a public place and this is one of the few she had done so far in Ponce. There is no doubt that this video is part of the history of the development of this gender within the Visual Arts in this part of the island.
As a visual and multimedia artist (with a 39 years career), I have had a genuine concern about recording the history of the development of the regional Arts in this part of this well developed industrialized island, specially those events that take places within the island regional districts outside the San Juan , Puerto Rico metro area.
I hope my humble production will be of some useful reference material to this emerging artist whose initiative had impressed many contemporary art lovers. By Mconesa 52, 2009