Bodies, the red note.

How does seeing influence us and who decides what we see? In her video essay, Brenda Alamilla questions the public display of explicit violence and bodies through the sensationalist media in Mexico known as the Nota Roja (Red Press). The work deconstructs images, language and their meanings in the context of a dialectic that propagates violence and fear and thus influences the collective subconscious. The artist shows how the depiction of sexualized bodies and corpses normalizes violence, spreads collective fear and creates numbness through objectification. Brenda Alamilla uses her voice as a decolonial tool to (de)objectify the depicted bodies and those of the viewer and thus reclaim sovereignty. The video essay traces the relationship between the hate speech of the magazines and the legitimate and illegitimate power structures in the country that contribute to the normalization of violence and gender-specific crimes such as femicide.
Collaborations:
Video recording: Alma Alamilla and Alí Mejía Cortés Voice recording and sound design: Andi Teichmann
Written and directed by: Brenda Alamilla