Daniela Szeőke
Dear Valencioides /
An Open Letter to my Assimilated Ancestors, 2023
Immersive installation with three-channel projection of handwritten text and photographs of artifacts, artist’s narration of the text (stereo audio), worktable from artist’s studio, hand sculpted figurines.
Read Artist Statement
Dear Valencioids / Open Letter to my Assimilated Ancestors (2023) explores my connection to the Valencioids, a pre-Columbian Indigenous group that once inhabited what is now Valencia, Venezuela. Through handmade figurines placed on my worktable, a voice recording, and 3-channel projections of artifact photographs and handwritten text, I present an open letter addressing the Valencioids. In the audio-visual loop, I share the few historical facts I have access to, transitioning into a series of poignant questions ( e.g.“What is your real name?”, “Did you consider your ceramic figurines to be ‘female’” and “What did you believe about gender?”) that remain unanswered due to the tragic consequences of colonialism. This letter turns the exploration of questionable archaeological facts into a deeply personal and emotional journey that encourages viewers to consider the broader implications of colonialist practices in art history and archaeology.
