Program
Open Studio: La ChicaScratch
Paula Chaves Bonilla
After spending a month in her native country Colombia doing research for her upcoming piece La ChicaScratch, Paula Chaves Bonilla is back in Amsterdam to further develop it before the premiere in Veem House in November 2021.
In La ChicaScratch, Paula dives into her mother’s legacy and history as a young militant activist woman in the 70’s in Colombia:
“I’m unraveling the story of my family and its involvement in militias and grassroots politics during the 70’s in Colombia. Wanting to undigg a story that has barely been told and shared with younger generations because of trauma and political censorship. I want to honour these untold stories, spend time with these censored memories. Discover the paths that this emotional and transgenerational unblocking will open.”
By mixing somatic movement research techniques with object based practices, spiritism, historical mapping and political denouncement, a utopian space emerges. Questioning how non-western approaches of dualism, ambiguity and non-binary philosophies can help us heal this you vs. me, right vs. left wing, good citizen vs. bad citizen, legal vs. illegal, peaceful vs. violent, correct vs. incorrect approach to life.
La ChicaScratch is an autobiographical journey in which Paula (re)connects with the history of autonomous and popular feminisms and activism of her country of origin. Join Paula’s ongoing research in our online Open Studio on the 2nd of June!
2 June 2021
20:00
Due to current COVID-19 regulations, the Open Studio will take place online.
About Paula Chaves Bonilla
Paula Chaves Bonilla (she/they) is a Colombian artist and activist based in Amsterdam. She has a background in contemporary dance, choreography, theatre and circus and now works as a dance and theatre maker across these disciplines. Her artistic research explores embodiments of denouncement, resistance and disobedience within contexts of censorship and surveillance.
Since 2015, Paula has been creating a series of works on the proximity between contemporary art production & neoliberal capitalism, which resulted in: Paraart (2015), Against the Wall (2017) and Omni Toxica (2019).
Paula Chaves Bonilla is currently a House Artist at Veem House for Performance, artist in residency at the Creative Crossroads program within the Life Long Burning dance network, member of the ‘Climate Justice Code for artists and art institutions’ (a project initiated by Casco) and co-founder of Papaya Kuir (an Intersectional feminist collective for & by Trans & Queer Lesbian Latinx Asylum seekers/migrants in The Netherlands).
Credits
Concept & performance
Paula Chaves Bonilla
Dramaturgy
Ogutu Muraya
Movement research coach
Lux Saüer
Visual art and scenography
Natalia Sorzano
Light and technique
Dana Claasen
Props
Rasureitor
Advice
Flavia Dzodan
Picture
Fag & Queer protection squad, taken during the Colombian National strike April-May 2021 by Rasureitor
Produced by
Veem House for Performance
About Open Studio
Take part in the research of emerging performance makers!
Are you curious about the creation processes of emerging performance makers? During Open Studio you can get a glimpse into artists work and processes as they develop. We open our doors to the beautiful and vulnerable process of creation, and invite you to take part in an exchange in an open and informal environment. As each artist engages with different thematics, particular questions and has a specific artistic practice, no Open Studio is alike.
Join artists in their research, and in it maybe find something out about yourself as well. No special knowledge is required, your curiosity is more than enough.
