IMAGES | DESCRIPTION

Eu Sou Um Consumidor (I Am a Consumer)
Performance | 2014

This participatory performance was inspired by the rolezinhos carried about by Brazilian youths of color. In 2013 in response to conditions of social apartheid that make it impossible for them to enter these sites of consumption without suffering harassment from police and private security, hundreds of youths began invading high-end shopping malls in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, until Brazilian judges ruled that their actions constituted illegal interference with commerce. For the performance, thirty Brazilian youths entered the Leblon Shopping Mall with T-shirts that said "I Am a Consumer" on the front and "Don’t Arrest Me" on the back. They proceeded en masse to the top floor where they purchased and consumed ice cream, and were followed and monitored by private security despite the presence of video cameras and production staff.

Photos: Janaína Miranda
Commissioned by the 2014 Transperformance Festival in Rio de Janeiro