Apariciones/Apparitions
Apariciones /Apparitions is a nine-and-a-half-minute video work by acclaimed Los Angeles artist Carolina Caycedo that reconceptualizes several iconic Huntington spaces through Afro-Latinx and indigenous spiritual practices. Choreographed by dance artist Marina Magalhães and shot by videographer David de Rozas, the piece is centered on brown, black, and queer bodies haunting The Huntington's iconic and traditional spaces—such as the great double staircase of the Huntington Art Gallery, the sweeping sculpture-lined North Vista lawn, and the rare book reading room in the Library building—in sensuous movements informed by the spiritual rituals of an Afro-Brazilian deity. In much of the powerful, captivating piece, the dancers look directly at the camera.
(Left) Mario Ybarra Jr., Go Big, 2018. Etching, ed. 10/10, 22 x 15 in. Photo courtesy of the artist; (Right) Still from the performance in the North Vista at The Huntington for "Apariciones/Apparitions," a video project by Carolina Caycedo. Choreographed by Marina Magalhães and shot by David de Rozas. Courtesy of the artist.
Still from the performance at the Huntington Art Gallery for "Apariciones/Apparitions," a video project by Carolina Caycedo. Choreographed by Marina Magalhães and shot by David de Rozas. Courtesy of the artist.
Still from the performance in the Huntington Art Gallery for "Apariciones/Apparitions," a video project by Carolina Caycedo. Choreographed by Marina Magalhães and shot by David de Rozas. Courtesy of the artist.
Mario Ybarra Jr., Spray Paint, 2018. Aquatint etching, ed. 7/10, 15 x 11 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), St. Jerome in his study, 1514. Engraving, 9 11/16 x 7 1/2 in. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Edward W. and Julia B. Bodman Collection.
#22: The Duodo shield is held by the figure of Justice; beside her 2 women hold the shields of Bergamo and Udine, while Neptune supports that of Corfù, 16th-century Venetian ducali fragment. 12 3/4 x 10 in. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Apariciones /Apparitions debuted in 2018 at The Huntington as part of the institution's contemporary arts initiative called "/five," when The Huntington and the Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) at East Los Angeles College invited Caycedo to create work in response to The Huntington's collections. The Huntington purchased the video jointly with VPAM, with the support of The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation.
Sensuous movements are informed by the rituals of Oxum, a Yoruba Orisha (or deity) representing water, sexual pleasure, fertility, and love. The body of the dancers, or phantoms, become sources of knowledge, and their gaze holds the viewer accountable, something that is too often missing from history and art; holding space in historically white spaces in ways that they have never been inhabited before.
With: Marina Magalhaes (Choreography), Isis Avalos, Samad Guerra, Celeste Tavares, Bianca Medina, Jose Aviles, Natali Miciche
Cinematography: David de Rozas
Carolina Caycedo Video on View
Apariciones/Apparitions (2018) reconceptualizes several iconic Huntington spaces, including the Huntingtons' former residence, through Afro-Latinx and indigenous spiritual practices and dance.
Listen to the Spotify playlist that accompanied Apariciones/Apparitions, selected by Carolina Caycedo and her performers.
About /five
About the /five initiative
2019: Beside the Edge of the World
2018: Rituals of Labor and Engagement
2017: COLLECTION/S: WCCW/five at The Huntington
2016: Orbit
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