[Beehive] the making of…
Anamaria McCarthy

The work around Beehive (by Anamaría McCarthy)

The community of bees –the organization of their hives– is a classic benchmark for political theorists to describe models of organization of human society. In particular, I was always impressed by the behavior of the bees expressed in that particular language of the dance that consists of a personal choreography of the mother bee while searching for its location within the hive.

In 2007, at the Proyecto´ace in Buenos Aires, I offered a workshop on self-portrait. By a wonderful coincidence, I came face to face with a very diverse group of international artists—all women. After many years of working on the nude and self-portrait using my body as a support, I ventured to propose to them to share a unique experience, for them and for me. The project consisted not only of expressing themselves as painter or recorder self-portrait, after exploring their own hidden voices through unaccustomed means, but also expressing their language on a new medium… my skin. In turn, I photographically recorded their naked bodies.

Like some bees, we organize ourselves harmoniously in personal and private sessions, to privilege trust and maximize inspiration. That experience confirmed the existence of a series of hidden ties originating from our feminine condition. In some way, the expression achieved was realized as one who performs a choreography drawn on the nudity and intimacy of a shared dance… melee. The result of The Hive are the bodies, mine, theirs and ours.