Join us for a new performance by Bolivian artist, archivist and activist David Aruquipa Pérez, organised in conjunction with his new exhibition Barbarella’s Kiss.

In this event, Pérez will present a newly composed dance performance in the style of La China Morena, a feminine performance character central to the history and culture of fiestas populares, popular street carnivals across the plurinational state of Bolivia.

The performance will be accompanied by a sound composition by a performer and sound artist, Luisa Mateo Dupleich Rozo. Rozo’s compositions are produced in the style of Morenada, a music traditionally played for performers dancing as La China Morena in fiestas populares. By linking historic and contemporary components, the performance will explore the importance of intergenerational learning and memory in these carnival events.

The performance will take place during the preview event for Barbarella’s Kiss. The event is free to attend and no booking is necessary.

David Aruquipa Pérez (b. 1971, Bolivia) is an artist, archivist and human rights activist living in La Paz, Bolivia. Pérez is the National Head of Cultural Management at the Cultural Foundation of the Central Bank of Bolivia. He is the author of La China Morena: Transvestite Historical Memory (2012), and co-authored Collective Memories: The History of the LGBT Movement in Bolivia, (2012). He has published several essays, including ‘The aesthetic revolution of La Familia’ (Galán, 2016), and Trans and queers at the ‘First Planetary Summit on Decolonization and Depatriarchalization’, Bulletin of the French Institute for Andean Studies (2015).

Luisa Mateo Dupleich Rozo (b. Bolivia) is a multidisciplinary artist, DJ, lecturer, producer, physical training instructor and investigator, currently living in London. Rozo studied Contemporary Dance and Choreography at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London, and has presented work at the Southbank Centre, London (2022); The White Hotel, Manchester (2022); Aula Artis, Poznań (2021); Scena Robocza, Poznań (2021); Polish Dance Theatre, Poznań (2021); and Miejski Ośrodek Sztuki, Gorzów Wielkopolski (2021); Malta Festival, Poznań (2021); Bonnie Bird Theatre, London (2019); Jupiter Woods, London (2019); Barbican, London (2018-19).