Mariel Rodríguez

The exhibition FLOWERS OF EVIL: NATURE AND THE COLONIAL WOUND took place from 1.6.2017 to 15.7.2017 at the exhibition space of the Association of Women Artists of Austria (VBKÖ). It brought together the artistic works of Carla Bobadilla, Imayna Cáceres, Edinson Quiñones, Sandra Monterroso, Sofi Utikal with Laura Sobenes and Mariel Rodríguez, to rethink relationships between body, nature, politics and technology. It calls for a reflection about neo-colonial forms of plunder and exploitation of nature. Through historical analysis, autobiographical perspectives and poetic metaphors, the artistic positions react to different stories of cultural appropriation and claim for a recognition of the role that indigenous people’s lifestyles, traditions and knowledge have for the conservation of biodiversity.

Mariel Rodríguez, born in Mexico City in 1982, lives and works in Vienna. Mariel is a visual artist, researcher and curator. Her interests lie at the intersections of visual, gender, postcolonial, and critical studies. In her multi-media works and artistic research, Mariel investigates the use of images in the production of hegemonic discourses and seeks to subvert them. Her current project, "In search of independency," addresses violence in the context of narco-politics and its dissemination through visual production. Mariel holds a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and a Master's degree in Critical Studies from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where she is currently working on her PhD. The project is about the role of photographic portraits in political protest movements. Her work has been shown in various exhibitions in Vienna, México and the USA. She is part of the Colectivo Acción Solidaria con México en Austria (CASMA).