BLANCA GRACIA. ANTIDOTUM TARANTULAE
Blanca Gracia, “Antidotum Tarantulae.” View of the exhibition “Cabeza de Lobo” at the Sala de Arte Joven, 2022. Photo: Laura San Segundo.
In her work, Blanca Gracia (Madrid, 1989) alludes to mythology to explore pseudo-fictitious worlds with which she has developed narratives assimilated into our own contemporaneity. Her output harnesses drawing as a technique to refine the languages of animation and performance.
Taking watercolour to its final consequences, she constructs animations which, through a process that involves costume design, meticulous scenography and collage techniques, generate an artisanal appearance. In some of her works the artist has combined real and animated images, highlighting the influence of popular culture, myths and folklore while revealing a fascination with mixing references from classical and medieval theatre. On one level, she transports current social, political and philosophical questions to her personal universe; on another level, she creates utopian narratives, whether through the pencil or the mise en scène.
Titled Antidotum Tarantulae this audiovisual installation in the Museo CA2M Collection was first seen at the Cabeza de Lobo show curated by Pilar Soler in 2022 and held at the Sala de Arte Joven de la Comunidad de Madrid. A hybrid between theatrical representation, animation and sound, it reflects on the power of language and voice as a social tool. The work draws on experimentation with theatrical devices to explore declining human communication and voice policies in the age of the digital panopticon.
With folklore and classical myths as its starting point, the proposal mixes the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus with imagined figures that aim to make sense of our present. A carnival dance as festive cultural expression, it combines ancestral pagan traditions with local folklore and uses the notion of the fiesta to revisit the idea of celebration, where vibrant rhythms, disguises, masks and a profound sense of identity become an explicit invitation to let go and break free from the restraints imposed by contemporary civic life. An immersive proposal in which visitors become part of the theatrical experience.