In the caves of Spain (El Castillo) and France (Gargas and Pech Merle) where several simple handprints made with ochre are found, Dean R. Snow, archaeologist at Pennsylvania State University, carried out a study that revealed that two thirds of the handprints had feminine characteristics. This raises the question expressed in the title of an article published in 2013 by National Geographic: “Were the First Artists Mostly Women?”
Although there is not yet sufficient evidence to attribute a definitive gender to the creators of these cave paintings, Snow's research illuminates the importance of questioning how we perceive (or erase) the presence of women in History and Art.
Establishing a close relationship between ochre, body painting and painting on rock surfaces, this performance by Anita Ekman in El Castillo and El Chufín caves (Spain) explores the interaction of shadows cast by her body on the paleolithic rock paintings, to explore the idea of women as artists and historical actors, not just as symbols of fertility.
Raquel Férnandez Núñes cinematografer, and photograpy, Raquel Diniz edition. July, 2019