• 14th, 1st Avenue. Miramar, Havana, Cuba
Exposing Virgilio (a Carnivalism marginalia project)
2023
Second hand t-shirt and lace textile (t-shirt-mask)
Proposal
Virgilio Piñera said to Fidel Castro: Yo no sé ustedes, pero yo tengo miedo, mucho miedo (I don’t know about you, but I am afraid, very afraid), 1961. One of the most brilliant Cuban writers would die in Havana (1979), after years of being ostracized. Exposing Virgilio is a photographic register relating to the practice of Carnivalism (an exercise of liberation, revindication and catharsis). It has been performed in France, where I am currently located, yet, still longing to be in my home of Havana, a place I cannot return. The sense of loss and errancy, which is not the same as a change of context, are the consequences of a dictatorship being in charge in one’s country of origin.
To activate and participate in Carnivalism, a common t-shirt was transformed into a t-shirt-mask by sewing lace fabric into an image of Virgilio Piñera with see-through. An inside pocket was sown into the shirt for an individual’s head when used as a mask.
Location: Saint-Étienne, France
Desired Location: 14th, 1st Avenue. Miramar, Havana, Cuba
Example video of Carnivalism practice:
Biography
Liliam Dooley (cuban-american) was born and raised in Cuba. Lives and works in Saint-Etienne, France. Graduated from the Higher Institute of Design of Havana, and the San Alejandro Academy, Havana.
She is interested in the interpellation of art and design. Liliam initiated the project, marginalia (transformed second-hand clothing), as a tool for conceptual exploration to position herself towards a second-hand posture. Seeking distance from elitism and closeness between author and public, the inclusive and democratic, based on the quotidian object. Recent exhibitions, Operative factography, Documenta Fifteen; 12th Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne 2022, France; AIM Biennial, Miami, FL 2020; Factoría Habana, 2019-20; Fundación Ludwig de Cuba, Havana, 2019.
Liliam Dooley works as editorial designer. She has collaborated with costumes for performances, stage plays and short films.