Susana Cortez

Artist Statement
“Dirting_Indianapolis” This was a social action in Indianapolis, IN. I covered myself with dirt and walked throughout downtown Indianapolis, Indiana for about an hour. This was the first piece where I use dirt as my medium. By covering myself with dirt, I became visible to every person who came across my path, at the same time dirt erased all the stereotypes and labels that are often attached to me. It erased my gender and my ethnicity. I became just a human, or maybe even an object allowing people to relate to me.

Performance: “I am just a piece of brown shit in this capitalist society”, (Social action or video) This is my newest piece. It was a social action in the mission district in San Francisco, CA. I covered myself with dirt on Mission and 16th St. I laid on the floor covered on dirt. People surrounded me, talk about me, or just observed me. Then, I proceeded to walk around the mission area for about one hour. I would like to do this same action in a gallery setting, “Body Politic/s” will be perfect for this particular piece since I am addressing multiple issues of the body and power dynamics.