Larysa Bauge
DONA
DONA is a cycle of performances inspired by my own immigration story and how it relates to the "roots in motion" phenomenon. The actions are metaphors of loneliness, vulnerability, the impossibility of balance, trespassing, and invisibility.
In my performances I try to deal what scares me the most. I see the works as an opportunity to cross the borders I normally wouldn’t cross in daily life. Sometimes that requires me to use my body but oftentimes it simply means questioning what is socially acceptable and redefining the connections between human beings.
To me DONA is an example of "poetic art-activism" because it allows the viewer to engage with the work in two ways. First, because DONA is influenced by global issues such as immigration, human rights, and the environment, the viewer can respond to the work as a member of a larger community. Second, because of its abstraction, the viewer can relate to the actions as an individual person capable of feeling isolation, anxiety, and sadness while simultaneously sympathizing with the performer.
Together the performances form a site-specific route, where the starting point is the bank of the river (canal) and the destination - the stairs of the gallery. The elements/materials for these acts are clear and simple (presence, movement, voice, salt, water, white shirt) and they draw attention to the poetic elements of the actions - the open space and the posh Dutch town where people believe they can hide from the world around them.
A silent action taken out of its usual frame, a presence of a nude lonely figure in a wide open outdoor area, a public space used as a private room, the proximity of spectator during a painful action – these are the kind of images that present a challenge both for the performer and the audience. These images call for a need to be woken up and being acted upon.
DONA is a cycle of performances inspired by my own immigration story and how it relates to the "roots in motion" phenomenon. The actions are metaphors of loneliness, vulnerability, the impossibility of balance, trespassing, and invisibility.
In my performances I try to deal what scares me the most. I see the works as an opportunity to cross the borders I normally wouldn’t cross in daily life. Sometimes that requires me to use my body but oftentimes it simply means questioning what is socially acceptable and redefining the connections between human beings.
To me DONA is an example of "poetic art-activism" because it allows the viewer to engage with the work in two ways. First, because DONA is influenced by global issues such as immigration, human rights, and the environment, the viewer can respond to the work as a member of a larger community. Second, because of its abstraction, the viewer can relate to the actions as an individual person capable of feeling isolation, anxiety, and sadness while simultaneously sympathizing with the performer.
Together the performances form a site-specific route, where the starting point is the bank of the river (canal) and the destination - the stairs of the gallery. The elements/materials for these acts are clear and simple (presence, movement, voice, salt, water, white shirt) and they draw attention to the poetic elements of the actions - the open space and the posh Dutch town where people believe they can hide from the world around them.
A silent action taken out of its usual frame, a presence of a nude lonely figure in a wide open outdoor area, a public space used as a private room, the proximity of spectator during a painful action – these are the kind of images that present a challenge both for the performer and the audience. These images call for a need to be woken up and being acted upon.
The Hague, Netherlands
No 1. While wearing her grandmother’s embroidered shirt, the performer assumes the posture of a prisoner prior to execution. She jumps into the river, crossing it while singing. When she arrives at the other side, she takes her shirt off, leaving it, embroidery up, like a white flag. The performer walks away.
No. 2 Seated on a bridge, the performer draws figures on her foot with a blade. While singing, she pours salt on the wounds. She walks away – leaving a single white footprint on bridge that is slowly swept away by the wind.
No. 3 The performer repetitively walks in a circle, while her voice crescendos and echoes in her surroundings.
No. 4 The performer covers herself with water and places herself in a transparent bag. She then moves along the street.
Larysa Bauge is a performance artist raised in Belarus and currently based in the Hague, Netherlands. She graduated as a multi-disciplinary performer from the T.I.M.E. department of the Royal Conservatory of the Hague in 2016. Her graduation project “DONA series” was selected from 400 graduating artists around Europe for the NEU NOW festival in Amsterdam.
Bauge’s artistic practice is characterized by its diversity. She was trained and worked as an orchestra conductor with such collectives as Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra (ES), the New Ensemble (NL), NEuverband (CH). She composed scores for dance and theatre and worked as a DJ. She is also experienced in the theater field as an actress and participated in such festivals as Culturescapes (CH), Arena (DE), Stukafest (NL).
https://www.larysabauge.com