Tova Mozard is an artist who continuously explores role-playing on the border of reality and fiction. Through her career, she has incessantly approached the mythology of Los Angeles and the city’s odd characters; psychics, performers, amateur comedians, and actors.

 

In The Mismaid Girl, Tova Mozard is creating a portrait of a dying breed – the American style entertainer with an ever-gleaming smile on his face who is out of sync with his time. But the video is ultimately a self-portrait by Mozard. She becomes the artwork, as she is the director of the performance and through participating in the trick. She plays the woman who is sawn into pieces while lying in a box.

 

When Tova Mozard documents and reveals the workings of the magician’s tricks she is also digging deep down into the core of symbolism. What does it mean to dismember a woman? How could this be perceived as entertainment? In the video, we follow the setting and preparation of the show.

Tova Mozard

The Mismade Girl, 2020

Black and white digital video

Duration: 16.08 min