Corazón del espantapájaros [Heart of the Scarecrow], 2020 by Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa
The Power Plant Presents: Corazón del espantapájaros [Heart of the Scarecrow], 2020 by Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa
Ramírez-Figueroa filmed this new performance at the Universidad Popular in Guatemala City. It is inspired by an anti-establishment performance that took place in the same location in 1975, which was in turn loosely inspired by the play Heart of the Scarecrow, written by Guatemalan playwright Hugo Carrillo in 1962. During the Civil War, the 1975 production, which was revolutionary in its intent, was violently censored and the theatre set on fire. Perhaps due to this trauma, memories of the 1975 performance are hazy. Ramírez-Figueroa’s film uses a new script formulated with poet Wingston González, titled Lugar de Consuelo [Place of Comfort]. In this version, the work's characters exist in a fascist context in which they are both villains and victims.
Password: TPPNaufus
Corazón del espantapájaros [Heart of the Scarecrow] is online for home viewing until 18 May.
About the artist.
Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa (b. 1978 Guatemala City, Guatemala, lives and works in Guatemala) holds a BFA from Emily Carr University and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was a post-graduate researcher at Jan Van Eyck Academie in 2013. He has had solo exhibitions at institutions including New Museum, New York (2018); Haus Esters, Krefeld, Germany (2017); CAPC Bordeaux, France (2017); IICD, Amsterdam (2016); Gasworks Gallery, London, UK (2015); and Tate Modern, London, UK (2015). He has participated in various group exhibitions including the 57th Venice Biennale (2017); The Conundrum of Imagination at the Leopold Museum, Vienna (2017); Illy Present Future at the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Italy (2013); the 32nd Bienal de Sao Paulo (2016); the 10th Gwangju Biennale (2014); Home Works IV: A Forum on Cultural Practices at Masrah Al Madina Theatre, Beirut, Lebanon (2008); and the 53rd International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen, Germany (2007). Ramírez-Figueroa is a recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, a Franklin Furnace award, an Akademie Schloss Solitude fellowship, the ARCO Comunidad de Madrid for young artists, the DAAD Berliner Künstlerprogramm and the 2017 Mies Van der Rohe Award.
Credits.
Video, high definition, colour, sound, 60 min
Commissioned by The Power Plant 2020
Courtesy the artist and Proyectos Ultravioleta
Additional support from Bienal de Arte Paiz, Proyectos Ultravioleta and the Universidad Popular de Guatemala.
2020 Concept, direction, production and costume design: Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa
Text and adaptation: Wingston González
Co-direction, camera, and edition: Robert Beske
Assistant camera: Pablo Valladares
Cast: Wingston González, Jeffrey Ortega, Natalia Mendoça, Dharma Morales, Leslie Romero
Casting Assistance: Evelyn Price
Still photography: Mel Mencos
Sound: Amenothep Córdova
Sound assistant and data manager: Pepe Orozco
Costumes and props realized by:
Joe Seely
Alex Cassimiro
Valentina Soares
Nicolette Henry
Alvaro Cuessi
Prop maintenance, costume fitting, and wardrobe:
Geovany Mox
José Bacaro
Elizabeth Bacaro
Electricians: Carlos Armas, Joshua Hernandez, Geovanny Alarcón, German "Legs" Hernandez
Production Manager: Alberto Rodriguez Collía
Special thanks to Casa Roja, catering; Joaquín Ruano; Sergio Ramírez; Andrés Rodríguez; Pablo Chután; Lorena Rojas; Dirección Centro Histórico; Raquel Jiménez; Ingrid Mejía, director Universidad Popular; Miguel Sun; Josue Soria; Oscar Gómez; Andy Benavente; National police, Comisaría 11 de la PNC; Officer Jesús Ignacio; Officer Rolando Chiroy Mendoza.
