Performer, writer, and researcher, she holds a bachelor’s degree in performance art from Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. Her works appropriate and subvert the exotic place attributed to the black female body by the white cisnormative imagery, that transforms it in a kind of aberration, an entity split between the wonderful and the abject. In 2012 and 2013 she collaborated in Bahia’s GIA and Rio de Janeiro’s Opavivará collectives. In 2017 she was a resident artist in the Capacete Program in documenta 14’s Public Program, curated by Paul B. Preciado. She lives and works in Salvador.
The expression “merci beaucoup, blanc!” is of latin origin and, in France, is used as an expression of gratitude. By adding the letter “o” to the word “blanc” (“white” in French), the word nears “branco” (“white” in Portuguese). In the work, the artist paints her own black body with white paint, calling for a reflection about language as a tool to disseminate racism. Moving along photography, cinema, and live action, Mattiuzzi elaborates on a poetic strategy as a statement of the political struggles in the everyday life of racialized communities.
Conception: Musa Michelle Mattiuzzi
Video: Lauren Klocker
Editing: Nick Prokesch
Body piercing artist: Ava Dvorak
Executive production (Vienna): Pêdra Costa
Special acknowledgement: Roberta Lima
