Temporary Monument #2: O Urubu

A photographic installation. Acrylic photo print on aluminium dibond backing, framed in wood and plywood frame with magnets.

I am waiting for the sky to turn cloudy. Once such a day arrives, I walk on the empty beach not too far from Sao Miguel de Milagres, a tiny village, in the North-East of Brazil. I come across a gigantic dead turtle. Shooing away dozens of vultures (Port. ‘urubu’), I lay down on the sand and wait. Apprehensive at first, in 6.5 hours the vultures stop giving a damn about me. At sunset, a few birds are already hanging out by my side, they are busy pecking out the turtle's eyes. From the days and nights I spent studying urubus’ habits, I’ve realized that they spend their days in non-stop wobbling while competing for food. On the hottest days, they pee on their own legs in order to cool themselves. When something suddenly scares them, they vomit. Recalcitrant slaves who died from torture or from back-breaking toil would have been thrown to urubus in a public way – for the rest to witness and to fear the same fate. My performance comes to an end when the bravest of the urubus finally gets close and decides to have a taste.

• Limited Edition of 5 + 1 AP (Museum Edition), 199.2 x 74.7 x 4.1 cm, 2015

• Limited Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 2015: 102,6 x 38,2 x 4,1cm (open), 69,6 x 38,2 x 8,2cm (closed)

• Limited Edition of 15 + 2 AP, 2019: 1993 x 747 x 41cm (open), 141,1 x 74,7 x 8,2cm (closed)