“Imitating the Gods”

Imitating the Gods

Date

2010

Curated by

Rewell Altunaga

Gallery

Development Center for the Visual Arts

Location

Havana, Cuba

Curatorial Statement

Naivy Pérez’s Imitating the Gods stands as a profound exploration of the dynamics between divinity, power, and human agency. The installation transforms the gallery space into a site of solemnity and tension, where a solitary church bench is illuminated by a dramatic overhead light, invoking the atmosphere of a sacred space. Yet, this reverence is disrupted by the dispassionate recitation of biblical verses, a haunting voice listing divine acts of punishment, destruction, and regret.

Drawing from texts of the Old Testament, Pérez dissects the paradox of divine justice and the human interpretation of morality. The selected verses echo a God who inflicts suffering, enforces retribution, and laments the creation of humanity. These words, juxtaposed with the quiet presence of the bench, force the viewer into an intimate confrontation with the contradictions inherent in religious narratives. The installation does not critique faith itself but rather the historical and cultural apparatuses that have wielded religious doctrine as a tool for control and justification.

The artist positions Imitating the Gods as a critique not of divinity but of those who have claimed to act in its name. By isolating the viewer in a space designed for contemplation, Pérez emphasizes the responsibility of interpretation and the weight of belief systems that have shaped societies for millennia. The robotic monotony of the voice reading these scriptures underscores the depersonalization of divine authority when mediated through human institutions.

The title, Imitating the Gods, is a sharp reflection on humanity’s tendency to replicate divine behaviors, often through acts of judgment, punishment, and exclusion. It challenges the viewer to consider how these patterns have perpetuated cycles of violence, both physical and ideological, under the guise of divine will.

Naivy Pérez’s work extends beyond religious critique, entering the broader realm of power structures and their impact on the human condition. Imitating the Gods is both a meditation on the sacred and a poignant reminder of the dangers of absolute authority, inviting viewers to critically engage with the narratives that shape our moral and social landscapes.

Rewell Altunaga

Havana, Cuba