Short CV - Artist Statement - Filmography
Lázara Rosell Albear
Born in 1971, Lázara Rosell Albear is a Belgian-Cuban artist who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and co-founded the organisation MahaWorks with Simschka Stein. Her practice combines a multiplicity of media, including sound research, performance, film, drawing and installation. “What is our place in a world we have come to take part in?” she asks herself in a context where technological advances are constantly transforming the traditional languages of dance, music and theatre. Transgression, presence, resonance, vibrations, new worlds, poetry: these are the keywords of her unifying practice. Her works are included in collections such as the Argos audiovisual arts centre, the Frans Masereel Centrum, Mu.ZEE and the Kanal-Centre Pompidou.
Short Bio:
Graduated in the year 2000 from the Royal Academy of Arts - School of Arts KASK – Gent, Belgium, medium Film. A member of Les Ballets C. de la B in different productions since 1997. Performing in projects of Alain Platel “Iets op Bach”, Koen Augustijnen “Import/Export” and Lisi Estaras “Bolero” and “Soup”. She cofounded the Xmedia organization MahaWorks in 2001 together with composer, guitar player and digital media artist Eli Van De Vondel after graduating in 2000 from the School of Arts KASK – Gent, Belgium, medium Film. In 2002 she received the Bunkacho Fellowship – Japanese Ministry of Culture to study traditional Japanese dance and music; learning also to play Shamisen and Sho with Toshihiro Kineya and Naoyuki Manabe. From 2004-2006 she was production assistant in two productions of Rosas/Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker “Hanjo” and “D’un Jour D’un Soir”.
In 2011 Trancemediamix II project by Walter Verdin during which she collaborated with Sammy Baloji (COD) on the creation of “Bare Faced” (video installation, photo series, concert/performance). The project was presented at the VK, Bronx and BRASS (Brussels), Kunsthaus Dresden (Germany), CAM2 Madrid (Spain) and together with her film "Yoko Osha" (2015) presented at the III Biennale Bucaramanga (Columbia), Missouri University (United States), Het Bos (Antwerp). Also in 2011 she received the DIVA fellowship (Danish International Visiting Artist) to collaborate with visual artist, musician and composer Jørgen Teller.
Worked with Valerie Oka and curator by Koyo Kouoh on the performance “Untitled” for the exhibition “Body Talk” presented at WIELS, Contemporary Art Center, Brussels 2015. “The MacGuffin” film, a collaboration with Doris Bloom (ZA) screened at Tate Modern, London, UK, in the frame of the film series "The Film Will Always Be You: South African Artists on Screen" in july 12th 2015.
Artist in Residence at Wiels, Contemporary Art Centre for the entire year 2016.
Invited to present the films "Yoko Osha" and "Bare-Faced" at the conference: AFRO-CUBAN ARTISTS: A RENAISSANCE. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA in April 27th to 30th, 2016. The film "Bare-Faced" was also part in November 2016 of Vietnam’s San Art Moving Image Festival “Embedded Souths” co-curated by Gabriela Salgado, Zoe Butt and Uyen Lee. The film “Yoko Osha” screened at Temporary Gallery - Cologne, Germany during ART COLOGNE from 17 to 19 April 2015 as part of the program FILM COLOGNE focusing on Flanders and in Brussels, at Cinema Nova on June 3th 2016, before performing the solo “unsurrounded 10.2"; at De Beurschouwburg, Brussels, September 22th and at CC Strombeek group exhibition "Eutopia 28" that took place from January 8th through march 8th, 2017.
The film also screened at Wiels, Contemporary Art Center on September 10th, 2017 followed by the solo performance "unsurrounded 11". Part of the group show "Something Stronger Than Me" curated by Rita Mcbride, Willem Oorebeek, Devrim Bayar at Wiels, Contemporary Art Center openned September 15th through January 7th, 2018.
The film Bare-Faced screened August 24th, 2018 at 41e Édition Du Festival De Cinéma De Douarnenez, section Salon d'Images - Essais vidéos du Congo curated by Rosa Spaliviero.
One of the 10 artists selected for the opening of Kanal Centre Pompidou museum Prefiguration year in Brussels - May 5th, 2018 throughout June 2019.
Her solo Unsurrounded performed at Temporary Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Art, Cologne as part of the series "Raumklänge: Same, Same But Different" 2018, in cooperation with the City of Pulheim and the Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen. Program selection by Harald Kimmig and Sara Bosquiat Temporary Gallery Koln, Germany September 2018 and at the Videonale17, Bonn, Germany in February 2019. In January 26th a longdurational performance took place with her project "the art ensemble of Brussels" at Kanal Centre Pompidou , Brussels. From february 13th - march 17th "noli me tangere" group exhibition curated by Tania Nasielski along with artists Roger Ballen, Claude Cattelain, Pieter Declercq, Nancy Moreno, Benjamin Verhoeven at Abattoir De Bomel, CC Namur . February 18th screening "Yoko Osha: Volume II" and Lazara's choice "Face Deal" by Mary Jimenez Freeman-Morris at Visite Filmseries Festival, Het Bos, Antwerpen. February 19th - 24th screening "Yoko Osha" at Argos Program at Macro Asilo, Rome, Italy. On March 21th we opened HKW Berlin “Find the File” with Aerea Negrot voice/performance, Miguel Toro percussion and Miguel Fata sound design.
The film “The Fall: Re-En-Act” (2019 - 23’-HD) mostly shot in Greece's Ikaria, screened at “Feast of Fools. Bruegel Rediscovered” group exhibition curated by Luk Lambrecht and Lieze Eneman at The Gaasbeek Castle, Lennik from April 7th until July 28th. The Installation Bare-Faced (Film 23’-HD-loop + 4 photographs - 2015) a collaboration with Sammy Baloji (COD) was invited to participate at the exhibition “Le jour des esprits est notre nuit/The spirits' day is our night” with o.a Oier Etxeberria, Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, Candice Lin, Sean Lynch, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Tamar Guimaraes & Kasper Khoj at CRAC Alsace in France from june 13th until 15th september. Invited to Celebrate the 10 years of PLOEF! Art Center with “the art ensemble of brussels” organized by Indirah Osumba joined by volunteers in Jette, Brussels. The year 2019 ended on the 21th December with an invitation to open “La Nuit Du Solstice” at Les Ateliers Mommen before the band “Why The Eye” with the audio-visual solo performance “Unsurrounded XVII” for performer, drums, pocket trumpet, poetry, visuals, electronics.
In 2020 she participated in the May Day radio marathon of QO-2 with the lockdown soundtrack “Unsurrounded 2.0” with a released tape of the soundwork on October 2nd, 2020 and made a second lockdown soundwork at Wiels, Contemporary Art Center “Soundscape for a deserted building / Unsurrounded: Notas de la quarentena Live at Wiels”.
Invited for “De Wand” solo exhibition at Cultuurcentrum Strombeek Grimbergen from October 2nd to January 2021. Part of the groupshow “As Close As That” at M HKA Antwerp curated by Luk Lambrechts and Lieze Eneman Invited by NICC from January 7th through February 7th, 2021 with a published edition of her work for the show. Preparing for the group exhibition “BXL UNIVERSEEL II” curated by Carine Fol en Tania Nasielski at the centrale for Contemporary Arts, Brussels, march – July, 2021.
In 2022 Q-O2 Oscillation Festival presented the solo Unsurrounded at Decoratelier in April 28th in Molenbeek, Brussels. The solo was also invited at Shorttheater Festival in Rome Italy at Wegil on September 13th, 2022 and was part of Africa Is/In The Future Festival #7 at Cinema Nova, (an initiative of PointCulture and cinéma Nova in partnership with Culture & Démocratie, librairie Météores & la Bellone) for the opening gathering discussion: « Quelles formes de récits pour hacker les imaginaires? With Eli Mathieu-Bustos, Imis Kill, Toma Muteba Luntumbue, moderated by Renaud-Selim Sanli. The rest of December 2022, her first time in Afrika on a research residency at Eric van Hove Ateliers in Marrakesh, Marroco.
In march 2023 performed at Acker Stadt Palast in Berlin with Playground Berlin, a collective of dancers and actors gathered around Brazilian performer, dancer Geraldo Si. On May 6th the "Walk With Me" performative guided tour of the exhibition of Michel François "Contre Nature" at Bozar Art Center in Brussels and on May 13th she performed with Fallon Mayanja (text and voice) at the Beurschouwburg in Brussels in the frame of the exhibition "Quiet Refusal" by the "Blacks to the Future" collective founded by Mawena in 2015 in Paris.
Lázara Rosell Albear has works that are part of the collection of Argos, Center for Art and Media, the Frans Masereel Centrum, Kanal-Centre Pompidou and The Flemish Community (VGC)- Mu.ZEE.
Filmography
1 - “One of Us”(1999 - 32')
2 - ”Campos Sagrados” (2000 – 28' - 16mm )
3 - ”Yu-"trekt” (2001 – 37' - 16mm)
4 - ”Foolish Mothers” (2001 - 17')
5 - “Talking Feet” (3 monitors video installation) (2003 - 14’) Lightcliff Art (IS) & MahaWorks
6 - “Humanity” (2004 – 1')
7 - “The Norway” (2006 - 2007 - 29')
8 - “Dark Speeches” (9 screens video installation) (2008 - 17')
9 - “Talking Feet II” (2009 - 33')
10 - “Labo Mina” (2010 – 15' - Color+BW)
11 - “Who What Are You” (2010 – 24' - BW)
12 - “Soup” (2012 - 27') MahaWorks-les Ballets C. de la B.
13 - “Epidemic: Theatre de Cholere” (2012 - 5 films 45’to 50’ each chapter - WIP Installation/Web series) MahaWorks-Novgorod
14 - “Tonight, I Love You!” (2013 - 14') MahaWorks-Lara Barçaq & Gael Santisteva
15 - “The MacGuffin” (2013 - 4') MahaWorks-Doris Bloom
16 - “There is No Blindness in Colors” (2013 - 1’)
17 - “Yoko Osha” (Making Saint - Hacerse Santo) (2015 - 41' - Color & BW)
18 - “Bare-Faced” (video installation) (2015 - 23’) MahaWorks - Sammy Baloji
19 - “Yoko Osha: Volume II” (2017 – 49’ - BW)
20 - “Secuestrando a Barbie/Mono No Monogatari” (2019 - 24 - BW) MahaWorks - Aerea Negrot
21 - “The Fall: Re – En – Act” (2019 - 21’18)
22- "La Croisière Des Pieces Détachées Non Localisèe – part 1". performance by "The Art Ensemble of Brussels" at Kanal Centre Pompidou, January 26th, 2019 ((2019-2020 - 49'49 - color)
23- "Yoko Osha Chapter III or The first day is the day of the river" (2021 – 44’49 – Third chapter of the trilogy “Yoko Osha” and presented along with the first two parts as a 3 screens video installation - 43min - color & BW - sound - loop)
contact – links
website: www.mahaworks.org
sounds: https://congrisdetachedlab.bandcamp.com
fbpage: MahaWorks.Danscamdanse
i: @lazara_ra