Violence and death do not effect everyone the same way. Depending on gender, but also on wealth and race, people are impacted to very different degrees. Although gender-based violence is commonplace and widespread, it is only in recent years that more attention has been paid to it by politicians and society more broadly. This is the theme of Suzanne Lacy’s video installation “De tu puño y letra” (By Your Own Hand). Based in Los Angeles, Lacy is a pioneer of feminist and activist performance art. With her participatory social practice, often realized in cooperation with local communities, she campaigns against social injustices and for marginalized groups. Since the early 1970s, she has been focusing attention on rape, giving a public voice to individuals who identify as women, and naming the patriarchal roots of this violence.
In the video installation “De tu puño y letra,” people who identify as men appear in succession and read excerpts from letters in a factual tone. The letters contain shocking reports of brutal gender-based and domestic violence that elicit a deep sense of trepidation. The reports range from sexual assault to group rapes and femicide. The film material was shot in Quito, Ecuador, at an arena for bullfights—a male-connoted space that is traditionally characterized by violence and dominance. The circular arrangement of the projections transports the exhibition visitors to the arena, directly confronting them with the words and gazes of the participants. The life-size images make the physical and emotional challenge of the performance tangible.
The conscious decision to have people who identify as men read the statements of victims who identify as women emphasizes the role of patriarchy as a structural basis for the violence. At the same time, the discrepancy between the male voices and the female experiences become a central element that encourages viewers to consider and reflect on gender, power, and credibility. The projection ends with a key message that raises the perspective from an individual to a social level: “It’s necessary not to be afraid, I told myself, necessary to write in order to heal, share the pain with others.”

Website
tinguely.ch/en/exhibitions/exhibitions/2025/suzanne-lacy.html

Where
Museum Tinguely
Paul Sacher-Anlage 2
4002 Basel

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