Tania Bruguera: "The Francis Effect" | ART21 "Exclusive"

[Tania Bruguera: "The Francis Effect"]

[BRUGUERA] Hi guys, how are you doing?

Hi, how are you doing?

Hi guys, how are you doing?

[WOMAN] Fine, you?

[BRUGUERA] Good. I'm...

Hi guys.

Hi guys, how are you doing? Hi.

[WOMAN] Hi.

[BRUGUERA] I'm one of the artists in the Latin
American exhibition.

And, one of the...

[MAN] Oh, we just came from there!

[BRUGUERA] Yeah?

And one of the projects I'm doing

is a petition to ask Pope Fran...

[WOMAN] But I'm not American.

[BRUGUERA] That's okay.

Where are you from, Italy?

[WOMAN] Si.

[BRUGUERA, SPEAKING IN ITALIAN]

[BRUGUERA] One of the projects I'm doing is
a petition I created

to ask Pope Francis to give Vatican City citizenship...

[MAN] Okay.

[BRUGUERA] ...to immigrants nobody wants,

like undocumented and refugees,

no matter what religion they profess,

no matter what country they are from,

no matter what race they are.

[WOMAN #1, IN ITALIAN] Sign, sign!

Sign, sign!

[WOMAN #2, IN ITALIAN] What is it?

[WOMAN #1, IN ITALIAN] It is a petition to ask Pope Francis to give undocumented

immigrants citizenship from the Vatican.

[WOMAN #2, IN ITALIAN] Oh, great!

[BRUGERA] I'm an artist who works with immigration
issues.

I want to get into people's minds

and people's political imaginary.

For me, it's really nice when I talk to people

and they kind of get the idea.

You can see something in the expression.

And I think it's interesting because

a lot of people know it's impossible.

Like, they say, "Well, this is impossible."

But the impossible is only impossible until
somebody makes it possible.

[WOMAN] Oh, yeah, I can't do that.

[BRUGUERA] Okay, why?

[WOMAN] Because my family came here legally,

and so does everyone else.

[BRUGUERA] But...

[WOMAN] I can't...

[WOMAN] No, it's okay.

[BRUGUERA] No?

[BRUGUERA, IN SPANISH] And you are from Argentina?

[WOMAN, IN SPANISH] Yes.

[BRUGUERA, IN SPANISH] Look at that! You are
the first Argentines that do not sign!

Why not?

[WOMAN, IN SPANISH] The truth is that

I must be very invested in the issue

and agree with your project in order to sign.

[BRUGUERA, IN SPANISH] Of course.

If you have any questions I can answer them.

[MALE STREET PERFORMER SINGING "NEW YORK,
NEW YORK"]

♪ I'm gonna make a brand new start of it ♪

♪ Here in ol' New York ♪

♪ And if I can make it there ♪

♪ I'll make it anywhere... ♪

[BRUGUERA] The Pope has a double function.

It is a head of state,

but at the same time, it's a head of the church.

"The Francis Effect" is an art piece

that wants to talk about the Catholic church,

specifically the Vatican as a political entity.

The Vatican is a recognized state

that was conceived out of an idea--

in this case, a religious idea.

So, what if we have all the places in the
world

in which people gathered together out of an
idea

and not out of a piece of land that belonged
to your ancestors.

That's the Pangea.

[WOMAN] This is what the continents used to
look like...

[BRUGUERA] Super... Yeah, exactly.

[WOMAN] ...before they got split up by earthquakes.

[MAN] Okay.

[BRUGUERA] And then it was way before countries
existed

and borders existed,

so when everybody could go wherever they want,

without visas and papers.

The Pope was in Lampedusa,

and he made a pretty emotional speech there.

Very symbolic.

The table had the shape of a boat,

so it was like an art piece, you know?

It was like an installation.

The Pope has been very outspoken

about treating immigrants differently.

And he came up with the globalization of indifference,

as a concept, that I really liked.

I feel, like many other people,

that this is a problem that has to be solved
on a global scale,

with international institutions.

Immigrants do not need charity; they need
papers.

Let's take the Pope's words and ask him to
walk the...

Walk the talk? That's how you say it?

[BRUGUERA, IN ITALIAN] Are you also a Methodist?

Are you an atheist?

I am also an atheist. Ok, thank you.

Have a nice day.

[BRUGUERA] This is very simple performance
art.

I'm interacting with the audience one to one.

I decided that I was going to produce art
for people

who do not think like me.

[BRUGUERA] ...anywhere.

You tell me one country, and I'll tell you
if there is immigrants there.

[WOMAN] Syria?

[BRUGUERA] Uh, yes, there are, actually.

[BRUGUERA] It's harder, I know.

But I think it's more satisfying because

the friction that you can create

when you're having these conversations

is more fulfilling for me

than just, like, a little pat on the shoulder.

But the signature is kind of the theatrics
that you need

for people who don't believe in art--

people who don't believe in the power of ideas.

At the same, it is a way to mobilize people

to think the impossible, you know?

Like, what if somebody actually decides to
say,

"Yes, I'll give all the immigrants in the
world,"

"who are undocumented or refugees,"

"their papers."

So they can be seen other than illegal or
a negative way.

Even if they don't sign, that they think about
it, you know?

And then put the little seed in their head.

That's for me what art is.

[GIRL, IN SPANISH] They should.

[BRUGUERA, IN SPANISH] Yes they should. It's
only fair, right?

I can't ask you to sign because you are minors.

You need your parents to authorize you

because you are minors.

But yes, at the very least I can give you

our website so that you can get the information.

[BOY, IN SPANISH] Mom, come!

Dad, come!