Gnosi il·luminada

The former convent of Santa Mònica (1636-1835), now a contemporary art centre, had a library of which more than 500 volumes are now preserved in the CRAI Reserve Library of the University of Barcelona. The study of some of the volumes serves as a starting point for this artistic project. The works that articulated the scholastic thought of Thomas Aquinas, who introduced Aristotelian thought and the most problematic essentialism (from a contemporary point of view), return to their place of origin to cohabit in space, horizontally, with the development of other knowledge, other ways of being and of creating knowledge.  

This multifaceted audiovisual project, which incorporates multiple artistic collaborations, speculates with temporal leaps to channel queer and non-normative countercultural responses that question the Western gnostic tradition. It also traces a line of tension between the origins of classical thought and new epistemologies, passing through the observation of traditional university institutions.

Photo: Daniel Cao

Artist:  Agustín Ortiz Herrera

Production Assistant:  Daniel Cao

Choreographer: Iver Zapata

Dancers: Lluís Garau López,Sergi Corominas Jaén, Ioar Labat Berrio, Carlos García Corchia and Ignacio Alejandro Jiménez Cabello

ActorsMartínez González, Freyja Palau Vidal, Leo Roldán Pulido, Charlie G Fennel, Toni Navarro, Frank Trobok and Iver Zapata

Narrating voice: Anna Pérez Ortega

Soundtrack: Agustín Ortiz Herrera

Song El Señor (Adaptation by Gnosis Iluminada)
Interpreter: Alan Neil
Music, lyrics and production: Alan Neil

SongSicut Virgo
Performed by Auditexaudi

Adaptation by Margarida Barbal Rodoreda from the score Antífona Unde quocumque (nº 47) by Hildegarda von Bingen.
Interpreters: Dinna de Rosa Rigau, Lorena García García, Lucía Cano Villaverde, Montserrat Vives Brescó and Margarida Barbal Rodoreda

Make-up: Natalia Campos

Stylism: Tania Marcial

Sound: Adrià Gómez Sentis

Narrator's voice register: Pau Oltra i Tropic Studio

Sound editing:  Carlos Gómez

Still photo: Daniel Cao

Loan of old books from the Library of the Convent of Santa Mònica: CRAI /UB
Researcher: Marina Ruiz
Direction CRAI Biblioteca de Reserva: Neus Verger

Aknowledgements: Jordi Moreno Romero, Aida Mestres, Pau Martínez, Dolores Pulido, Elisenda Rius, Paloma Báscones Franco, Meritxell Genís, Marc Ribera, Miguel Ángel de Heras, Sergi Botella, Marina Ruiz, Neus Verger, Judit Casals, Ajuntament de Sant Cugat del Vallès, Universitat de Barcelona and CRAI/UB

With the production assistance by Hangar.org

Agustín Ortiz Herrera (Barcelona, 1970)

Agustín Ortiz Herrera's artistic practice is developed in the fields of audiovisual, performance and installation. He uses these media to activate the queer perspective in a patriarchal-colonialist context fuelled by the dominance of audiovisual persuasion and the normative representation of memory. She studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona, and filmmaking at The New School University, New York. After a period working as a scriptwriter, he returned to artistic practice by completing a Master of Fine Arts at Konstfack College of Arts, Stockholm. Recent exhibitions and collaborations include Science Friction, The Symbiont Circle, CCCB, 2021, Other Times, The Green Parrot, 2021, Vanitas, Maristany Art Centre, 2021, Queer Committee, Barcelona Loop Festival, 2021, Fictions of Disorder, Hangar Public Programme, 20/21, A Colonial History of the Cabinet-Garden, GRAFO Routes, 2021, Naming. Possessing. Critique of taxonomic practice, Artistic research project, La Capilla/Barcelona Producción, 19/20, Artificialia: ¡WunderChapel, Barcelona Loop Festival, 2020, Artificialia is Coming!, Polivalentes, Hangar 2020, Oblivion, KROPP, Uppsala Konsert & Kongress, 2019, Words of vision, österbybruk, Sweden, 2018, Long term empowerment, El umbral de primavera, Madrid, 2018. Agustín is a long-term resident at Hangar.org and received the Barcelona Production La Capella grant (19/20) in the artistic research category. Recently his work Fungi Fantasy and their friends Crazy Bacteria, has been acquired by the MACBA collection.