Art is political, just as the political is artistic. Many artists mobilize their practice in moments of crisis or urgency, offering resonant commentary on the present. Others, however, use art to rewrite history altogether, rejecting dominant narratives shaped by inherently segregative colonial timelines. In these moments, art becomes more than commentary; it becomes a plea for change, remembrance and agency.
On view at the Center for Contemporary Art of OÖ Landes-Kultur in Linz, Austria, Pleas of Resistance is the first major European museum exhibition to present an expansive body of work spanning multiple disciplines and media by multidisciplinary artist Carlos Motta. The exhibition examines the documentation of social conditions and political struggles across diverse identities and communities by addressing sexuality, gender and marginalized ethnic groups while foregrounding the complexities of postcolonial societies. On view through Sept. 13, 2026, Pleas of Resistance encompasses video, installation, sculpture, drawing, web-based projects, performance and symposia. Curated by Agustín Pérez Rubio and Susanne Watzenboeck, the exhibition is organized by Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona in collaboration with OK Linz.
The exhibition traces more than 25 years of Motta’s artistic practice, organized into four interconnected sections. It brings together early photographic self-portraits with recent video performances and large-scale installations, transforming the gallery into a comprehensive exploration of the core themes that define his work. These include precolonial homoeroticism, the politics of care within queer liberation movements, self-determination beyond the human body and storytelling as a form of knowledge that preserves and sustains silenced histories.
Motta’s work is formally complex and often abstract, challenging conventions of presentation and interpretation across media. His photography carries a solemn ambiguity, positioning underrepresented identity within a broader, encompassing narrative. In his practice, performance becomes subject, identity becomes story and art becomes philosophy. From meticulously staged self-portraits to intricately constructed conceptual works, Motta’s precise vision and disciplined execution coalesce into a powerful interplay of emotion, meaning and inquiry.
Across his practice is a deep-seated commitment to minority communities of marginalized or ostracized identities and their resistance to erasure. His work operates as a form of historical preservation — a space to retain the stories and experiences of those often overlooked or negated from dominant narratives. Presented together, the exhibition constructs a people’s history that refuses disappearance. In keeping with its title, Pleas of Resistance offers a sustained act of historical interrogation: art that communicates with purpose, moves with conviction and demands to be heard.
–Maria Movsesyan