DIGITALLY INVADING, 2020
In a short series of digital installations, Débora Silva invades London. Tate Modern, Frieze Sculpture Park, and Embassy of the Republic of Poland were the locations of Silva’s digital invasion, all of which used to make topical political statements.
Possibly the largest-scale Venus yet sits on a creature that can only be described as a pig-human hybrid in the middle of the Tate Modern. Venus has the creature in a harness and collar made strictly of pearls as Venus sits with an arm in the air resembling New York’s statue of liberty – only Venus does not hold a torch, but rather a vibrator. With this piece, Silva draws on representation, or lack thereof, of female artists in museums and galleries such as Tate Modern.
Digitally invading Tate Modern, 2020
Silva’s sculpture floats above the ground, colourful and obvious as it spews bright green and translucent vomit in Frieze Sculpture Park. Here Venus is plastered with the following sentence:
WORKING CLASS WOMEN ARE ALMOST 5 TIMES LESS LIKELY TO SECURE A CREATIVE JOB THAN MEN FROM PRIVILEGED BACKGROUND
Digitally invading Frieze Sculpture Park, 2020
Silva’s invasion of the Polish Embassy was a response to Poland’s recent law banning abortions under almost all circumstances. While Silva had originally planned on invading the inside of the embassy, filming was not permitted on their grounds. Instead, she made her silent statement from just outside the embassy doors.
This piece consisted of multiple sculptures of Venus in all their glory, conglomerating outside the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in what can be interpreted as a protest of their own. Her short video clip exhibiting her digital installation included audio of news channels discussing the Polish abortion ban law.
Digitally invading Poland Embassy, 2020