Claudia Casarino: The Absent Bodies of 'Alterar el trayecto de la luz'

Paraguayan artist Claudia Casarino is known for works that weave connections between textiles, the body, and social realities. In her exhibition "Alterar el trayecto de la luz," on view starting in September 2026, she explores what usually evades the gaze: the lives of women whose bodies are absent but whose presence remains. Using tulle, a fine, translucent fabric, she creates dresses and uniforms without bodies, spectral forms that evoke disappearance and memory.

The exhibition, whose title translates as "Altering the Path of Light," brings together various pieces that question domestic work, migration, and the informal economy. Suspended garments, empty pockets, or uniforms seem to float in space, like ghosts. Casarino, who represented Paraguay at the 2017 Venice Biennale, uses these everyday objects to speak about what often remains off-camera: invisible labor and the stories of women who had to leave their countries.

The choice of tulle is not insignificant. This light, transparent material lets light pass through, creating changing shadows and reflections. It evokes both fragility and resistance, presence and absence. The artist, trained at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Asunción, has worked on these issues for over two decades, often combining embroidery, sewing, and found objects.

This new exhibition follows in the continuity of her approach, but it marks a turning point in its more political affirmation. By staging bodies that are no longer there, Casarino pays tribute to migrant workers, often made invisible, and to their essential contribution to the economy. The installation, alternating suspended pieces and wall-based works, invites the viewer on a contemplative walk.

After this presentation, whose dates and venue were not specified in the source, Casarino's work continues to circulate on the international scene. It has already been shown in museums in Latin America, Europe, and the United States. This exhibition reinforces her place among the most relevant voices of contemporary South American art.

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Written by the ADM desk based on Artishock. Read the original article for the full story.