Mayte Olmedilla

DistuRbare

In collaboration with Rodrigo Valero-Puertas

DistuRbare is a collaborative, lenticular research project developed with Mexican artist and photographer Rodrigo Valero-Puertas, centered on the figure of Italian performer Pippa Bacca. This work was created within the framework of the open studies program for the Master’s in Scenic Practice and Visual Culture at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. It was first exhibited at Teatro Pradillo in Madrid in September 2023, and since August 4, 2024, it has been part of the catalog for the X Muestra y Premio Mujeres en el Arte “Amalia Avia” in Spain. DistuRbare is a textile and sound installation in which Mayte Olmedilla questions the boundaries of freedom imposed by contemporary patriarchal thought.

The first time I heard Pippa Bacca’s name, I was driving. I remember the radio announcer’s words, and a deep, cold, mysterious shiver ran through my entire body. I slammed on the brakes and put on the hazard lights. It took me a while to realize that, in that moment, Pippa had crossed into my life forever. Her story filled me with anxiety, anger, and endless questions — questions with no answers and no escape. Language failed, and all I could do was repeat in a loop: how is it possible, how is it possible, how is it possible?…
A harsh conclusion hit me all at once: “That’s it. There’s no hope. The world is a terrible place. The other is a threat. We must remain vigilant and walk on the edge.” How incredible and deeply ingrained the oppressive systems we live under truly are.
Pippa Bacca walked, dressed as a bride, through the scars of a war-torn Europe, hitchhiking, bowing down to wash the feet of the midwives who continued to bring life to a continent still in ruins. As I write this, a revelation forms in my chest: there is no greater act of courage than daring to live.
I recall the words of an Italian journalist about that terrible event: “Oh, this girl confused life with art.” I also remember my grandmother’s black wedding dress, the witches, the sacrificed jesters, and the 1,219 women murdered in Spain since January 1, 2003 — a hollow number, destined to grow. The numbers are never enough.
How difficult, yet how urgent, it is to move forward. And to celebrate, despite the darkness, Pippa’s life and legacy. A song emerges in my mind. Music, always giving meaning to the unspeakable:

“Who said all is lost?
I come to give my heart away”.

For those who wait for us sad, fearful, and without hope.
Thank you to Rodrigo Valero-Puertas for your vision and companionship.
Thank you to my mother, for stitching this hope with her hands.