Colonial Repercussions. Ayrson Heráclito: O Sacudimento da Casa da Torre and O Sacudimento da Maison des Esclaves em Gorée

“The two performances were, in fact, conceptualized as a diptych and I’m happy to see this duplication of the performative act on both sides of the Atlantic interpreted as an articulated idea of making an intervention in two major architectural monuments. In the case of Casa da Torre (or Garcia d’Ávila Castle) it is one associated with the old Portuguese colonial system in Bahia, and the Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves) on Gorée Island is connected with the slave trade between Africa and the New World. When I was thinking about the performances, I asked myself how I could critically re-examine slavery and the colonial past to reflect on the historical and social conditions of the present on both Atlantic coasts. In other words, what are the enduring consequences of colonisation and slavery for Africa and for Brazil? This questioning, however, had to be proposed and carried out artistically, as a performance, and through film and photography.” – Ayrson Héraclito

Ayrson Heráclito (b. 1968 in Macaúbas, Bahia, Brazil) lives and works between Cachoeira and Salvador, Brazil. He is a visual artist, curator and professor.