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  1. 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 

    Ana Mendes plinth museum

    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 

    Ana Mendes room with visitors

    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

    Ana Mendes performance big mamals

    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, Universal Museum Joanneum/Natural History Museum, Graz. Photos (c) Lena Prehal  - (review online)  

    Ana Mendes natural history museum

    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)  

    close up caption feet and plinth

    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, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Photos (c) Martin Zeillinger

    Ana Mendes and African mannequins

    • 1

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

      Ana Mendes plinth museum

    • 2

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

      Ana Mendes room with visitors

    • 3

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

      Ana Mendes performance big mamals

    • 4

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

    • 5

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

      Ana Mendes natural history museum

    • 6

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

      close up caption feet and plinth

    • 7

      a tale of Europeans, performance, durational, 2017, exhibition view, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Photos (c) Martin Zeillinger

      Ana Mendes and African mannequins

    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 8 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 at disturbing the gaze of the viewer on regard to objects of other cultures or species, commonly perceived as being exotic, whilst questioning notions of anthropocentrism.