adriana granado

“Breastfeeding”

Video performance

1 min

2022

The video unfolds in two scenes, both centred around the act of breastfeeding. However, instead of a child, the woman cradles two books: Contemporary Art: A Concise History by Michael Archer, and The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich. Notably, the latter includes only a single mention of a woman artist. Through this gesture, the work challenges the patriarchal foundations of art history, questioning who is nurtured by these narratives and who is left out.

“Subalternized work trilogy”

Video performance

2024

Composed of the videos “Receptionist”, “Houdsekeeper” and “Elevator Attendant”, the artwork expands on the themes of the Manifesto Against Work, referencing the practice of American artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, while highlighting the invisibility and devaluation of those in subordinate roles.

The work underscores that an art exhibition, for instance, cannot exist without the ongoing labor of cleaning, security, and front-of-house staff. This essential maintenance and care work is often shaped by a rigid division of labor along gender and class lines. Its financial and existential undervaluation reinforces an oppressive system.

As feminist scholar Françoise Vergès argues, care and cleaning labor are not only indispensable: they are fundamental to sustaining patriarchy, racial hierarchies, and neoliberal capitalism.