Disarmingly Cute

Disarmingly Cute (Irresistiblemente bonito), 2007, revolves around Vanesa Jiménez, a girl with an incurable illness, well-known as "the girl with glass bones." Vanesa achieved a certain popularity through a number of testimonial TV programs that put her forward as an example of someone who has overcome huge difficulties. Disarmingly Cute is made up of two high-definition videos that confront one another. One of them shows a looped recording of the real Vanesa’s body supported by a footstool and garbed in a plain, flesh-colored article of clothing that allows us a glimpse of her anatomy without resorting to nudity. In the other, a virtual image of Vanesa with the same characteristics synchronously turns before the reflection of its referent. The brief poem she recites, which was composed by the artist and is the source of the work’s title, says in Spanish: "Cute mane, cute babies, cute world, disarmingly cute. Girl, you are an authentic charmer, radiant, sensitive and cute. A reflection, digital fantasy, somewhat twisted for popular use. Sentimental, a personal drama, all profound reality for this great Museum. Live life, learn things, keep moving forward, friends forever."