Opening: Thursday, February 20th, 8–10pm

Exhibition Dates: February 21st–March 1st, 2020

Gallery Hours: Wed-Sun, noon-6pm and by appointment

The Body of the Text, a reading circle & seminar: Saturday, February 22, 2-5pm

Human Resources is pleased to present CASA DO SOL, an exhibition of new work by artist Lúcia Prancha.

Prancha’s installation explores the work and legacy of Brazilian writer Hilda Hilst (1930-2004). Often described as the Marquis de Sade of Brazil, her astonishing work takes up mysticism, insanity, embodiment, eroticism, and female sexual liberation. Hilst is one of the most important Portuguese ­language authors of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, her work is virtually unknown in our community.

CASA DO SOL is the name of Hilst’s home. During her lifetime, her residence was an important gathering site for writers, artists and intellectuals. Today, CASA DO SOL holds her archive, and hosts an intimate residency program which allows writers and artists to breathe in the compound’s earthy magic.

Prancha’s video installation, CASA DO SOL, was shot on location at Hilst’s house and gardens during summer of 2019 and uses the text of one of Hilst’s short stories. This experimental video explores sexuality and the colonial through the political and poetic militancy of Hilst’s writing.

As a part of this exhibition, HRLA will host The Body in the Text on February 22, a reading circle & conversation about writing, sex, transgression and Hilst’s writing.

Lúcia Prancha (1985, Portugal) obtained her MFA from CalArts (USA) in 2015, after completing BA studies in Lisbon (PT, 2009) and MA in São Paulo (BR, 2012). Lúcia Prancha explores the tensions between aesthetics, perception and politics, often by rethinking specific historical and social sites through sculpture, video and printed matter. Her work has been exhibited at LACA–Los Angeles Contemporary Archive, Los Angeles, USA, Hordaland Kunstsenter, Bergen, NO, Serralves Foundation, Porto, PT; Galeria Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Galeria Baginski, Lisbon, Portugal. In 2016, her film SEBASTIAN, THE GHOST was screened at Les Rencontres Internationales Nouveau Cinéma et Art Contemporain in Paris and, at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; and the 24th Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival, Portugal. In 2017, Prancha was in residency at the Jan van Eyck Akademie in Maastricht, NDC. During the Spring of 2020, Lúcia is a Visiting Artist Faculty at CalArts–California Institute of the Arts. Lúcia Prancha lives and works in Los Angeles.

This show is possible with the kind support of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal.