This catalog is published to accompany the first solo exhibition in Germany of the internationally renowned artist Mercedes Azpilicueta (*1981 in La Plata, Argentina). The artistic practice of the Amsterdam-based artist ranges across performance, sculpture, drawings, textile works, video art, and installation. In her work, she uncovers queer, feminist, and marginalized voices. Azpilicueta creates new associative connections and challenges rigid historical narratives which she seeks to deconstruct, giving space to emotional and dissenting voices. Her art is inspired by speculative and fictional Latino literature, the history of (neo)Baroque art, “decolonialism”, contemporary popular culture, and various aspects of craft techniques and textile production.

Mercedes Azpilicueta’s most recent artistic research investigates the identities of figures from the past who stepped outside the ordinary. She uses images of Artemisia Gentileschi, a retelling of the obscure story of the “Lieutenant Nun” who lived in the 17th century, Baroque-era garments such as the codpiece, and neo-Baroque ghosts. In this way, the artist reconstructs the past by recreating its anachronism and bringing stories to life with memories and imagination. Her works thus combine Baroque style with flamboyant queer nightlife, bondage culture, and other areas that explore gender identity and the restrictions imposed on the body.