Braiding Future
2024
After many years of separation, the four female generations of the Guzmán Figueroa family reunited to commemorate the birth of its youngest member. This experimental film uses hair as the protagonist, entangling the women of the family through a ritualistic act. While observing these five women of different ages braiding their hair and singing songs to each other, the audience will witness a fierce celebration of life, unity, and affection. This film invites the viewer to reflect on the intrinsic meanings of family, the role of women in society, and matters including migration and genetics.
Paola Fernanda Guzmán Figueroa is a Colombian/Finnish visual artist and filmmaker. She has a BA and MA degree from The University of the Arts Helsinki and a BA in Visual Arts from Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. Her work is based on the narratives and the lived realities of her family members and the geographical distance among them. Paola’s art dissolves frontiers and connects the past with the present by evoking situations, stories, and bodies that are placed in constant motion and in dialogue with each other.
Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues and has been documented by different media. Time Travel was presented at Governors Island, New York City (2023), CICA Museum, South Korea (2022) and El Retiro Park, Madrid (2020). Mommy say something to the camera, mom! has been showcased at Doclisboa International film festival (2023) and Nanita, para siempre was exhibited at the Cultural Centre Gabriel García Márquez, Bogotá (2022) and Oodi Helsinki Central Library (2023). Paola has participated in residencies at Saari Residence, Finland, and Residency Unlimited, New York, supported by The Finnish Cultural Institute.
www.instagram.com/paolaeneltiempo
Mediabox is Forum Box gallery’s space dedicated to media art. The program is created in collaboration with AV-arkki.
There are three steps to the media art space Mediabox, but the work is also available for viewing on a tablet by request. Please don’t hestitate to contact our staff if Mediabox is inaccessible for you.