Essay by Vincent Meessen for Ana Vaz’ Meteoro

Vincent Meessen wrote an essay for the catalogue published in the framework of Ana Vaz’s solo show at Secession, Vienna
08/03 – 18/05/2025

Developed in collaboration with the Tuareg researcher Maïa Tellit Hawad, Franco-Guadeloupean author Olivier Marboeuf, and Portuguese artist Isabel Carvalho, Meteoro sketches a critical anthropology of contemporary Europe, revealing the negative imprint of an Empire founded upon colonial violence, displacement and waste. Shot with high-contrast black-and-white stock the work assumes the form of a fictive archaeology. Split across three chapters, the films posit what the artist calls a “counter-ethnography” of European cities whereby the landmarks and infrastructures of a Western world are reflected and refracted as if seen in a mirror.

Curated by Damian Lentini

Read more at Secession