Regina Parra’s practice focuses on the social body of women. She is interested in relations of power and vulnerability that result from women’s shared experiences and their bodies. 

Combining text and pictorial production in her paintings, videos, and performances, Parra often extracts touching and poignant phrases said by women characters in famous plays and literary texts. These women populate the imaginary that the artist created, as if Parra’s work could whisper their words back to the viewers.

The title of this series of paintings refers to Aurora, a character in Brazilian author Nelson Rodrigues’ play ‘Os sete gatinhos’. For the past years, Parra has dedicated paintings such as these to women characters in famous theater plays: Ophelia (Shakespeare’s Hamlet), Bacchae (Euripides), Winnie (Beckett’s Happy Days), and now Aurora. The phrase in Portuguese means: ‘What kind of courage?’ “

Text by Tatiane Schilaro, on the occasion of the exhibition "Against, Again: Art Under Attack in Brazil”, Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery, NY.