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About this commission
In Mariana Valencia’s video Solo B—a Spanglish phrase coined by the artist meaning “just be”—the poses of classical and pre-Columbian sculptures guide the artist’s movements, words, and reflections. The performance roams through millennia, from ancient Greece to contemporary art, capturing the world from Valencia’s perspective, framed by her research in the Mediterranean region, ephemera collected from her mother’s youth, and other references in her proximate view. Crossing time and place, Solo B offers a deep examination of notions of beauty, rupture, and healing.
Valencia joined the Shed family of artists as a member of the first cohort of Open Call participants. When her commission was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she shifted the format of her piece and filmed it in her home during the ongoing shutdown of performance spaces in New York City.