Intimate rites, 1984. (1-2/2)
Intimate rites is another work inscribing in the cycle devoted to artist's grandmother - Regina G. Film is a personal documentation of relationship the artist had with his old, decrepit grandmother. He took care of her for the last two years of his life, he washed her, dressed her, fed her, changed her nappies, as she wasn't able to take care of her physiological needs anymore.
In this way the artist expresses his gratitude for his childhood years, when the roles were reversed (Libera was raised primarily by his grandmother, because his mother was busy working at hospital).
Film, and other works referring to Regina G's death, show the decline and objectification
of the body, which does not fall under individual's authority anymore. There's a discrepancy here, stressed by the old age and decrepitude, between the body and the mind. What mind wants cannot be realized because of purely physical barriers. Human being shows itself here as weak, and its development and existence are blocked by factors independent from his will.
The work, despite criticism, is an homage to an old woman, it depicts everyday struggles that Libera faced while taking care of his ill grandmother. It is an almost mystical documentation of devotion and deep, honest bond between two people. Objectification of human body is here revised by the care of a stronger individual over a weaker one, being a part of natural generational cycle as well.
