Dacil grandos and Dacil Manrique's Economia domestica

The video "Economia domestica" from Dacil Granados and Dacil Manrique was inspired by the flemish painting " El Cambista y su mujer". From this painting exist different versions: one in the Prado museum, in Madrid (with Dacil in the image below), made by Quentin Massys in 1514 and one inthe Louvre in Paris, made by Marinus van Reymerswaele in 1539.

This painting is the most known image to illustrate the economic activity of that time. We can see a men counting coins on the left and a woman at his right looking at his movements, both sitting behind a table. They are inside a house representative of the medium-high classes of the XVI century in Flanders.

With their video work Dacil Granados and Dacil Manrique wanted to talk about the actual situation of the artist. In their video we can see a modern interior. Behind a table a couple is sitting, to the right the woman, to the left the man. In the middle there is a mirror, in the flemish style, in which we can see the reflection of the filming camera. The man is counting money and writing down notes on a little note book; the woman is looking bored; she stares at a magazine and from time to time, gazes at his activity.

This work is a humble comment about the non stopping need of being aware of the little money we have, aware of the last penny we can get. How could us, artists, use our little incomes in the most effective way to be able to keep on creating?

Nayra MR

For more pictures of their visit to Gante:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8030789@N06/sets/72157607473821509/