Índole, 2020
Video performance
21’ 24”

It is recommended to watch this piece in the morning upon waking up. From bed.

August 6 – 31, 2020

Sala Abierta, an intangible space that in its first phase will present the work of artists who live and work in Guadalajara.

Índole emerged during times of crisis, in response to the impossibility of performing live. It was born from observing so many bodies through a screen and, above all, from the lack of physical contact with others nearby.

We read about the scent of a body while looking at its empty bed, marked by the movements it made during the night. The text functions as a kind of body, releasing its aroma through language. It is a conceptual exercise—imagining scents.

In collaboration with twenty people gathered through the map traced by my olfactory memory, twenty videos were created, each recorded by one of them following a set of instructions. To compose the texts, I worked with perfume language, components of personal hygiene products, and individual descriptions of their own scent. Finally, I related this information to my own memories.

This collective exercise is the first in a series of inquiries into the whereabouts of the physical body, what we present within the frame of the webcam, and, most importantly, ways to find connections beyond the isolated body and its own representation—where we can meet.

Claudia Cisneros (Guadalajara, 1986)
A multidisciplinary artist whose work primarily explores the bodily experience in relation to visual imagery. Her projects often actively involve the audience in their development. Her works include performance, drawing, and video, as well as actions linked to public domain virtual archives, social media, and online platforms.

She holds a degree in Visual Arts from the University of Guadalajara and is a graduate of the SOMA MX Educational Program. Her work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, and independent spaces in Mexico, Germany, Italy, and the United States. Her practice extends through independent research, writing, and pedagogical approaches.