THE INNER BODY

Photo credits: Óscar Monsalve
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Leonel Castañeda

2016
Facility
variable dimensions.

These flesh-toned girdles hang from hooks strung across a room, resembling a uniform line of people. They serve as a powerful metaphor for bodily self-control and society’s ongoing pressure to reshape the body—even at the expense of health and free will. Castañeda explores the vulnerability and fragility of the body when confronted with external forces that seek to mould it. The self is not merely a bundle of limbs and organs, but also a being that longs for protection and self-recognition. Article 33 of the Constitution establishes the right against self-incrimination as an expression of individual freedom, thereby prohibiting declarations against oneself or one’s family members.