Núria Güell Exposes Patriarchal Laws at CAC Brétigny

The CAC Brétigny presents Núria Güell's solo exhibition 'Au nom du Père, de la Patrie et du Patriarcat' from October 6 to December 21, 2018. The Spanish artist's politically charged works circumvent established laws and rules. The show opens with a two-part video 'Un film de Dieu' (2018), resulting from Güell's encounter with young Mexican women sold by their mothers for their virginity. They comment on colonial-era religious paintings from the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, projecting their own violent experiences. Their testimonies are juxtaposed with those of a mother and her two sons, all pimps. Copies of the paintings serve as archival documents. Another work, 'Apatride de plein gré' (2015-18), documents Güell's attempt to obtain stateless status at her embassy, including a video of French Algerian War veterans in Brétigny discussing nation and homeland. In 2017, she negotiated with a Spanish museum to pay her social security contributions for nine months to secure maternity leave, redirecting exhibition budget to individual rights. 'Aide Humanitaire' (2008-13) follows a five-year process in Cuba where Güell launched a contest for the most beautiful love letter, marrying a young Cuban man to grant him Spanish nationality. The exhibition deconstructs patriarchal laws governing bodies and identities, linking religion, law, and state from a feminist perspective.