Joan Morey. Double Event

In 2004, as part of an artistic project, Joan Morey tattooed “DECEPTION” on his left forearm. The choice of this word was not arbitrary, since it carries a semantic ambiguity, multiple layers of interpretation and a high potential for misunderstanding. Far from considering it a closed statement, he used it to highlight one of the structural conditions of art: its artificial, fictional and even tricky character, but, at the same time, its capacity to convey complex forms of truth.

Twenty years later, that inscription on the skin can be read as the symbolic beginning of an artistic journey based on ambiguity, plurality and openness. Far from seeking conclusive forms or a univocal language, Joan Morey has developed his work from unstable and, at times, contradictory positions. It is precisely in this oscillation where his power resides: in his ability to accommodate other voices, embody other bodies and channel demands—both his own and collectively—that critically question the present.

The performance DOUBLE EVENT (in progress since 2004) fits into this context, developed not as a finite work, but rather as a machine or an open production mechanism. Its title refers to the double event theatrical technique, which describes the simultaneous coexistence of two perceptive levels on stage: on the one hand, the fictional event, and on the other, the conscious recognition of the stage device. The performance therefore works as a system of transference and displacement, a kind of musical chairs, with witnesses and mirrors that challenge the notion of authorship and unitary presence and where body, time and gaze come into constant friction.

Joan Morey (Mallorca, 1972) holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona. Since the late 1990s, his artistic practice has included performances, videos and installations, as well as sound and graphic works, exploring the intersection between theatre, cinema, philosophy, sexuality and subjectivity. His work is characterised by a profound reflection on authority, power and the dynamics of domination, exploitation and inequality present throughout the history of humanity.

He has presented performances, works and site-specific interventions in many museums, art centres and galleries. His retrospective solo exhibitions include COLLAPSE. Desiring Machine, Working Machine, curated by Latitudes at the Contemporary Art Centre of Barcelona – Fabra i Coats (Barcelona, 2018); COLAPSO. Máquina de representación [COLLAPSE. Representation Machine], curated by Alex Brahin, at the Claustro de San Agustín – Museo de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá, 2019–2020) and COLLAPSE. Bachelor Machine, curated by Latitudes, at Casal Solleric (Palma de Mallorca, 2020).

Activity within the framework of the second edition of The Tàpies Chairs series, coordinated by Judith Barnés.