Courtesy of David Catá
The controversial performance artist and photographer David Cata presents his first solo Berlin exhibition, “Dandelions,” on February 5 at Kleiner Salon, Berlin, featuring a live palm-stitching session. Pain, nostalgia, remembrance and oblivion are some of the themes that imprint his melancholy and introspective work.
In “Dandelions,” David Cata’s first solo Berlin show, fragility and oblivion are sewn together. To Cata, the dandelion seeds glued one by one onto the bodies of his photography subjects are a metaphor for the fragility of life and the volatility of human existence.
“Déjame volar II”, 03. 2012. Courtesy David Catá
Sometimes, his own skin turns into the canvas of his artistic experience. The stitches on his palms are a metaphor of the permanent symbiosis between the passage of time and oblivion. On the opening night, the visitors will be able to attend one of the artist’s controversial performances. Cata literally stitches the faces of his loved ones on the palm of his hands. Once the threads are removed, a scar in the form of the portrait remains with him for a time.
David Cata’s production leaves no one indifferent. From the caress of the dandelions to the brutality of his stitches, his work is an exercise of deep introspection, a desperate effort to hold onto his memories and confront the pain of oblivion.
On the occasion of his Berlin solo show curated at Kleiner Salon by Ana Sanfrutos, Cata talked to us about his work and his new life as a Berliner.
“Cimientos”, 2011. Courtesy David Catá
Did you learn embroidery for the project “Overexposed Emotions” or is it something that you been doing all your life?
The truth is that my interest in sewing, or rather, stitching on the skin, didn’t even appear until five years ago, during my Master studies. I had never sewn before, not even a button, but it is true that as a child I always tried to pass one of my mother’s needles through the skin of my fingers. She used to sew all night long.
How did your family members feel about being portrayed on the palm of your hand?
They were amazed and concerned at the same time. But everyone is glad to be part of the project because of the meaning behind it.
How long do you have to wait between performances?
I always wait until the skin regenerates completely. This usually takes about four weeks. This does not mean that I stitch a portrait every four weeks. I only do it when I feel the need to.
“Déjame volar”, 2012. Courtesy David Catá
What role does pain play in the way you conceptualize your family?
Although my work may seem painful and an aggressive act against my body, when I speak of pain in my art, I am always talking about emotional pain, not physical pain. Anyway, “Overexposed Emotions” is not a project that speaks of pain, but of how the people I portrayed on my skin have shaped my life, leaving a trace behind them.
What technique did you use in order to attach the dandelions to your models’ bodies?
The dandelions are deposited carefully one by one on the models and objects. It is a very delicate action because of their fragility. The project talks about the ephemeral nature of life through the metaphor of the dandelion seed, which on one hand is what remains of a flower and on the other is the start of a new life.
Your work is very intimate and delicate, but brutal and shocking at the same time. Do you think that it is this combination that makes your job so fascinating to the public?
All my work plays with the concepts of contrary or opposite: love/pain, oblivion/memory, attachment/detachment… And this creates some tension in the viewer. On one hand, you do not want to look at it, but at the same time you cannot look away. What I seek is to awaken feelings through my images.
Déjame volar”, 2012. Courtesy David Catá
What are the topics that you work with normally? Do you believe in art as a weapon for political transformation? The themes I always seem to talk about are remembrance, oblivion, pain, relationships, fear… These are issues that haunt me more and more. I believe in art as an emotional defibrillator for feelings and social reaction. Art makes us rethink things and exposes the weaknesses of human beings. It has to stay one step ahead of society; we must not repeat established patterns.
You just moved to Berlin, what was it that brought you to this city?
My decision to move to Berlin was motivated by personal and professional reasons. I had to grow as a person and develop my work. Berlin is a city in constant motion and that is what I need right now.
What are your plans for the future?
I am currently preparing several exhibitions in Spain but I am also working on my second photobook, which will be entitled “In the skin.” Just a couple of weeks ago I published my first one, called “Let me fly.” I also have another project in which I try to combine my passion for photography with my passion for music. And I am also immersed in various painting projects.
Text by Lorena Juan Gutierrez
Images courtesy of the artist
“Dandelions” is showing at Kleiner Salon, Berlin-Kreuzberg until 15 February 2015