Can I ask you something?

Can I ask you something? is a pop-up exhibition, in the frame of Proposals for (an) art world(s), that presents Turn me On (2012), one of the many  neon works by Ana Pérez-Quiroga. This piece exposes a continuity of the artist's inquiries around the  feminine body as a dual territory for both desire and mismatched love. Turn me on engages with the  playing roles present in sex and gender issues, using lust and provocation to open a space where  dialogue can freely flow.

Other subtle elements, such as the use of an abstract clitoris shape in the background wallpaper, presents this organ as both the central element of feminine pleasure and as one of the most unknown/not studied and neglected or even denied, ones in conversations or representations of sex. Another element is a mirror which reflect us and is intended to Turn [you+us] On ... a libido-boosting work that invites the viewer in, to experience this intimacy with a question of consent: Can I ask you something?.

Opens on February 2nd 2023 at 6pm at A Corrente, Rua Passos Manuel, Lisbon

Artist’s biography: Ana Pérez-Quiroga is a Portuguese visual artist, performer and director working in Lisbon. She holds her PhD in Contemporary Art from the Universidade of Coimbra’s College of the Arts, and has presented her work nationally and internationally, solo or in several collective exhibitions. Some of her most important solo shows have taken place at the National Museum of Contemporary Art and MAAT - Museum of Art Architecture and Technology, both in Lisbon, PT. Pérez-Quiroga’s work explores themes of everyday life, the importance of common objects in the construction of self-representation, identity, gender issues, memory, post-memory and color. She conveys these themes through various mediums including installations, film, objects, textiles, photography and performance. Pérez-Quiroga was distinguished with the awards “2014 Best Visual Art Exhibition - Portuguese Authors Society” and “Art Project 2022 - Millennium BCP Foundation.” One of her most recent works concerning the discussion of gender was displayed as part of the “Amor Veneris” exhibition at the Musex in Lisbon, elements of which appear in this exhibition as well.

Proposals for (an) art world(s) is the final project of the Curatorship Seminar, coordinated by Luísa Santos, of the MA students in Culture Studies of The Lisbon Consortium of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. The contents and opinions expressed in the manifestos and the texts are the sole responsibility and authorship of the curators.

Curators working with Ana Pérez-Quiroga: Valentina Vallejo; Catherine Jansury; Rodrigo Lourenço; Emma Legaye; Bruno Castro This project is only possible with the support of: CECC (Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Cultura, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas, Universidade Católica Portuguesa); FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia); and DGArtes (Direção Geral das Artes – República Portuguesa, Cultura).