At PuSh Festival, Argentinian artist Tiziano Cruz explores culture of inequality in Soliloquio (I woke up and hit my head against the wall)
The insightful performative lecture uses the power of theatre to examine economic, racial, and institutional oppression
Soliloquio (I woke up and hit my head against the wall). Photo by Luciana María Lovane
Tiziano Cruz puts himself front and centre in Soliloquio (I woke up and hit my head against the wall), special performative lecture that is part of PuSh International Performing Arts Festival running from January 19 through February 5 at venues across the Lower Mainland.
Unable to travel from his home in Buenos Aires to see his mother in northern Argentina during the first pandemic lockdown, Cruz wrote her a series of letters. Reaching across boundaries of geography and class, these letters would become the foundation for a critique of economic, racial, and institutional oppression.
As an Indigenous artist, Cruz speaks about the suffering his people have endured under a system of white supremacy, examining the role Buenos Aires plays in Argentina's culture of inequality. His interdisciplinary art uses the intervention of public space to subvert oppressive hierarchies. In Soliloquio, Cruz uses the power of theatre and the precision of language to pose a difficult question: What does it mean for him to use his body for art in a country where bodies like his are not supposed to exist?
Born in Jujuy, Argentina, Cruz is the founder of the ULMUS Cultural Management Platform, which is dedicated to cultural exchange among South American communities. His works have toured Argentina, Brazil, México, Switzerland, and Spain.
A powerful, insightful solo performance, Soliloquio (I woke up and hit my head against the wall) examines economic, racial, and institutional oppression in Argentina and, by extension, elsewhere as well.
Soliloquio, presented in partnership with the frank theatre co., is showing at Roundhouse Performance Centre January 27 and 28 at 7:30 pm and January 29 at 2 pm, with a special talk-back with the artist following the matinee performance.
For tickets ($34) and more details, visit pushfestival.ca.
Post sponsored by PuSh Festival.