Imperial Reminiscence
2018
Digital video, colour, sound
10:15 min
Commissioned by The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; supported by the NAVA NSW Artists’ Grant
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Imperial Reminiscence is a cinematic voyage of misguided desire (illegitimate and guilt-free) that traverses fantasies of cultural otherness. It is a reminder of the colonial gaze and its nostalgia for imperialism. It reviews the historical and ongoing Western narrative of whitewashing in Hollywood films, and archives this specific mode of violence that relies on the erasure of bodies of colour and benefits from their absence in cinema and the broader entertainment industry. Through performative and technological interventions, Garcia brings attention to these racial transgressions that continue to oppress non-hegemonic bodies, through acts of mimesis.
Exhibition History: A.I.R. Biennale (online) (2021); The Centre of Contemporary Photography (online), Salzburger Kunstverein (all 2020); Post Office Gallery Ballarat, New England Regional Art Museum (2019); The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (2018)