Ana Mendes

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. Photos (c) NHM

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. Photos (c) NHM

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. Photos (c) NHM

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal - (review online)

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal - (review online)

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal - (review online)

a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Photos (c) Martin Zeillinger
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. Photos (c) NHM
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. Photos (c) NHM
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. Photos (c) NHM
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal - (review online)
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal - (review online)
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal - (review online)
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  a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Photos (c) Martin Zeillinger
a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria (Photos (c) Madis Luik (1) NHM (2, 3, 4)), Universalmuseum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz, Austria (photos Lena Prehal) and Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany (photo Martin Zeilinger)

a tale of Europeans is a durational performance in which Ana Mendes stands as a prop next to the objects of the collections of ethnographic and natural history museums. She stays over eight hours stillness on the top of a plinth. A caption displays all her personal details - i. e., homo sapiens, female, hair, organs, body lotion, varnish, etc.. The work aims to disturbthe gaze of the viewer on regard to objects of other cultures or species, commonly perceived as being exotic, whilst questioning notions of anthropocentrism.