BoCA Biennale presents ‘SPAfrica’, by Julian Hetzel and Ntando Cele, on display tomorrow and after tomorrow.

BoCA Biennale is sponsored by the Institut Français Portugal’s Mais França Program, with WAAU as a partner.

Julian Hetzel, a Utrecht-based artist, musician, and visual artist, creates work blending theater, music, and media, with a political and documentary approach. Ntando Cele, a South African actress and entrepreneur, founded Manaka Empowerment Productions Company in 2014. The company uses various mediums to address issues like identity, prejudice, and stereotypes.

‘SPAfrica’ is a performance that explores empathy and the relationship between capitalism and racism.

The performance uses the concept of ‘liquid empathy’ to reveal the hidden racism in power dynamics. The performance involves a reciprocal exchange of resources between Africa and Europe, trading water for tears and vice versa. The project’s central element is an ’empathy drink’ made from water sourced from sub-Saharan Africa and brought to Europe. The collection of tears in Europe is then transported back to Africa, revealing the neoliberal tendency to exploit natural and emotional assets. The performance raises questions about the monetization of immaterial attributes and the arts’ new gold standard.

BoCA, a Lisbon-based non-profit organization, promotes contemporary creation through a transdisciplinary approach. It develops a diverse cultural ecosystem through commissioning and producing artistic projects, programming biennials, long-term projects, education programs, and national and international diffusion.

Source: Boca Bienal.