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<\/p>\nAna Rita Canh\u00e3o is a contemporary Portuguese sculptor who describes her installations as a \u201cmulti-layered and complex artistic reality where art serves as bridge between the individual and society.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Drawing from the many social and political events going on in the world around her, each of Ana\u2019s works serve as a \u201cconceptual analysis of society and its existing constraints in order to deconstruct it\u201d. Much like a dystopian novel, installation tells a cautionary tale of the many ways in which society and governments can break down individuality in order to gain control over its members.<\/p>\n
By Lisa Salerno<\/a><\/p>\n Ana\u2019s work is not meant to be aesthetically pleasing and may actually stir up feelings of discomfort. Ana states, \u201cBy confronting the audience with its discomfort, or resistance regarding these constraints, I aim to instill a deeper reflection in the audience.\u201d Perhaps the most \u2018uncomfortable\u2019 of all of Ana Rita\u2019s work is her installation \u201cComfort Station\u201d.<\/p>\n Ana Rita\u2019s \u201cComfort Station\u201d tells the story of the \u201ccomfort women\u201d of World War II who were abducted from their homes in countries under Imperial Japanese rule and forced to become sexual slaves for the Japanese army.<\/p>\n This powerful installation not only serves as a memorial of the thousands of women who were forced into slavery but also a reminder of how countless women have been placed in subjugation and have buy clonazepam<\/a> suffered throughout history. Ana Rita acknowledges that where she resides in Portugal, it can be difficult to imagine such atrocities happening around her, however she also wants us to recall how only a few decades ago similar events were taking place in Europe itself, for example: in Bosnia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe installation Do Things Still Grow Beneath The Shadow Of Big Trees? depicts an institution which \u201cshrouds and suffocates the individuals and undermines each person\u2019s will and inclinations\u201d. At first glance, this institution may seem appealing and offer comfort or safety in order to recruit its members. In reality, this institution could care less about the well-being of others.<\/p>\n The Hollow Men speaks of a society where its individuals have lost all freedom and individuality; a society where the institutions reign supreme. These individuals have been long stripped of their identity, are lined up like cattle at a feeding station, being tube fed by wishbone-shaped tubes. Perhaps the wishbone shapes signify a wishing or longing for more, further enslaving these men. This piece signifies a system of enslavement to meet one\u2019s basic needs. A system of government that only benefits a select few, and the wealth trickles down leaving the working poor, even the middle class with the scraps to feed on.<\/p>\n Connect with Ana Rita Canh\u00e3o<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nijimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Comfort-Station-750x563.jpg\")
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