This is-Pain

"This is-Pain" was performed using two bronze sculptures located in the concert hall and the bullring of the Vista Alegre Palace.

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In his works, Cristóbal Ochoa narrates his journey as an exile and the trauma of the episodes that have shaped his life. This performance not only reflects the scars of forced displacement but also establishes a dialogue between his body, the sculptures, and the public space in which it unfolds. By choosing iconic locations such as a concert hall and a bullring, the piece suggests a tension between the artistic and the everyday, between spectacle and introspection, inviting viewers to reflect on identity, belonging, and dislocation.

Having recently relocated to Spain, Ochoa seeks to explore the various points of connection between his body and this new environment. Interacting with the cultural and emotional landscape is not only a process of personal adaptation but also an inquiry into how these factors can shape, transform, and even challenge his identity as both an individual and an artist. Trauma becomes the starting point of Cristóbal Ochoa’s work. 

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Often, when individuals share a traumatic experience, the narrative they employ is processed through the prefrontal cortex, where the voice attempts to erase or justify what happened as a defense mechanism. However, Ochoa maintains that the body houses an invaluable memory that the mind often cannot access. For this reason, he exposes his body to the cold, to the gaze of the audience, to the touch of rough materials, and to discomfort, even challenging authority and censorship.

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In this vulnerability, the body transcends words and reason, seeking ways to heal. This process transforms into an act of resistance, where strength emerges from fragility, revealing the inherent ambiguity of universal human experiences, such as the search for answers amid pain. Within this context, the symbol of the bull takes on profound meaning: a being whose powerful presence coexists with the tension of an environment loaded with traditions and expectations. Ochoa questions: Is the body fragile or strong in this spectacle? What does this pain reveal? Does the territory represent entrapment or confinement? Who are we truly fighting against?

Through this series, the artist invites viewers to delve into the complex duality between fragility and strength, exploring not only the scars of exile and trauma but also the inherent tensions of the human experience.

 

"This is-Pain" becomes a space where stories intertwine and dialogue, a shared territory in which the search for identity and the process of healing are revealed as deeply personal acts that are, at the same time, inevitably cultural. Here, the private and the collective meet, demonstrating how individual pain can resonate with others and be transformed, like an echo seeking to be heard and understood.

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