Marlene Monteiro Freitas has taken by force international stages and audiences alike by way of her expressive, vital and electrifying dance pieces – “Paraíso – coleção privada” (2012-13), “De Marfim e Pedra – as estátuas também sofrem” (2014) or “Bacantes – prelúdio para uma purga” (2017) are just a few examples -, having received in 2018 the Silver Lion award of the Dance Biennial of Venice. Marlene utilizes transgression to create a movement that is permanent metamorphosis, giving particular consideration to emotion. By request from BoCA, the artist now transgresses its own practice and conceives its very first artistic installation “Cattivo”.

The sheet music stands – that she already manipulated in “Bacantes” – are pedestal-like objects, composed by different parts with varied shapes and dimensions, linked between themselves through patellas, like the ones in marionettes, which are also designed after the human or animal skeleton. The stands are foldable bodies with the purpose of supporting the sheet music for musicians, that either play or sing. Its form and function are at first glance impossible to disconnect, until Marlene gives them new meanings and uses, immediately extracting their anthropomorphic qualities.

In “Cattivo”, the stands are explored up to the limit of their expressive properties, their capacity to flesh out other emotional states and to make decisions, manipulating themselves and other objects, forming as a team in a symphonic community, with different instruments, rhythms, melodic lines… Akin to a stage, a garden or dollhouse, the installation will remain between vegetable, animal and the fantasy world.