Pablo Wendel

The power of this work stems equally from its performative reality, as well as from the refinement in its craft as a short film. Although the narrative builds up into a climax through a remarkable handling of a sequence of equally amazing spontaneous moments, its abrupt ending prompts some pretty urgent questions. These questions point both to whatever happened before the image starts rolling, as well as after it cuts suddenly and the performer is removed from the protective gaze of incidental tourists and their video cameras. A highly political piece, however, it is not dogmatic nor blackmail of any trope, and never loses respect for the métier of the artist, nor that of the other players involved.

Terracotta Warrior 2006
performance video, 8min 38sec