Eu desejo o seu desejo

Eu desejo o seu desejo (I Wish Your Wish) radiates a burst of color composed of hundreds of differently colored cotton ribbons that hang loosely from a white wall. Small peg holes are drilled into the wall’s surface to hold the colorful straps or, in their absence, rolled-up pieces of paper. Each band carries a quote expressing a personal desire, hope, or dream, all of which begin with the same proclamation: I wish, yo deseo, je voudrais, vorrei.... In preparation for her first installation in 2003, Neuenschwander asked forty people to contribute to the initial selection of wishes; since then, thousands have taken part in sharing and exchanging their desires. The rules are simple—choose a ribbon, tie it three times around your wrist or ankle, voice a wish for each knot, and replace it with your own wish. Anyone can add to the collection of wishes by adding a new note into the empty spaces. The anonymity of the ritual and its playfulness allow the participants to confide their most intimate desires, frustrations, and longings to strangers, building personal yet untraceable connections.

The work celebrates a long-standing Brazilian folk tradition developed around the church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador, Bahia. Pilgrims are encouraged to wrap the Fita do Senhor do Bonfim (tape of the Lord of Bonfim) around their wrists or attach it to the gates of the church. The amulets also commemorate the òrìșà, Yoruba deities who are invoked in the fulfillment of the three wishes. Like the blending of Catholic and Afro-Brazilian popular traditions, Neuenschwander explores intersections between cultures, people, and communication symbols. She connects past, present, and future in a cycle of artist and audience participation that is in perpetual formation, never completed.

(Text written by TBA21 and used as wall label in the exhibition "Abundant Futures", C3A, Córdoba, 2022)