Biography of Jana Leo
Jana Leo (Madrid, 1965) is an artist and analyst of contemporary culture who has been residing in the United States since 1997. She currently manages projects in New York and Madrid. She holds a PhD in philosophy from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and earned a Master’s degree from the School of Architecture at Princeton University. Invited by the prestigious architect Peter Eisenman, she taught at Cooper Union University in New York for seven years.
Her artistic and intellectual work analyzes society, its taboos, and repressions, showing the absurd way in which we live. Through photography, video, or performance, her work connects the public with the intimate. A significant part of her creation focuses on the home and interpersonal relationships as a reflection of contemporary culture. Beginning in 2007, given the massive changes taking place in the city, Leo became primarily interested in consumption linked to tourism, rezoning, and the conversion of cities into theme parks. Another part of her work focuses on the mechanisms of power and both institutional and personal abuse. It is within this context that she has addressed rape since 2000 as a form of not only emotional but also economic exploitation. Since 2015, she has focused on education as a key tool for rape prevention.
In 2009, she wrote the book Rape New York, which was originally written in English and published by the British publishing house Book Works in London. In 2011, her book arrived in the United States courtesy of Feminist Press in New York, and finally, in 2017, the publishing house Libros del Lince published it in Spain under the title Violación Nueva York. Her work reveals the psychology of the aggressor and the cost of rape in the daily life of the victim. She has also published two other books: El viaje sin distancia (CENDEAC, Murcia 2006; reissued in 2014) and I Condo New York (Vitoria 2008).
In 2008, she founded the Fundación Mosis, a non-profit entity that has served as the channel allowing Jana to amplify the size and scope of her projects.
http://fundacionmosis.com/
https://janaleo.com
www.rapenewyork.com
Bio of the “NO VIOLARÁS” team
The “No violarás” team began to be formed by Jana Leo in February 2018.
Actors:
Pablo Vega, is an actor who has spent more than 15 years working on television series including Compañeros, Al salir de clase, Pelotas, etc. Pablo Vega plays the rapist in the building entrance scene. By stepping into the male role of the rapist, he is highly aware of the underlying reality and the necessity for a role reversal (in the performance, Pablo gives voice to the thoughts of the woman after having suffered a rape).
Alexandra Pino, model and young dramatic arts actress in training. Alexandra Pino plays the child, the victim in the piece La Novicia, and is acutely aware of the abuse of power by those who hold it, whether they are men or women.
Paula Medina Irazabar, an actress who has worked in both theater and performance environments. In 2015, she created a performance titled “Violencia de género” at Lajuangallery. In cinema, she appeared in “10000 noches en ninguna parte” directed by Ramón Salazar. The novice nun brings to light the grotesque nature of the female child abuser within the Catholic Church.
Irene Artal Domenech, young actress and singer. She trained as an actress at Cristina Rota and Central de Cine. In theater, her work includes the play Sangre de Eduardo. “Having to restrain yourself in the face of harassment produces a silence and a noise, even when you act,” says Irene after recording Jauría, in which she plays the victim.
Jorge Vazquez Moreno, studies law and economics at Carlos III, co-founder of Philos Sophiano. This is his first stage and video experience as an actor. He participates to raise awareness among men that one cannot act this way toward a woman under any circumstances. In La Jauría, he plays the guy who successfully flirted and brings the “prey” to the rest of his friends.
Carlos de la Cerda, currently finishing his degree in business management in Madrid. He has an interest in music and the arts in general. Carlos maintains that the only way not to be a machista is to make an active effort not to be one. In La Jauría, he plays the one who resists the group inertia of the friends and confronts the potential male rapist in front of the camera.
Alberto Ester, actor. He studies at the Juan Carlos Corazza school and works as a commercial model/actor. In fiction, he is awaiting the release of a TVE series titled Derecho a soñar. Alberto is one of the potential rapists in La Jauría, and his role is the most normal (the most manly) and therefore the most problematic. Well-versed in human nature, he makes explicit how one can come to enjoy something they reject.
Marta Romero Navarro, theater, television, and film actress. In film, she has worked in “Red de libertad” and “Amigos”; on television, in “Grand Nord,” “La que se avecina,” “Hospital central,” “Gran Reserva,” “Homicidios,” “Pelotas,” “Infidels,” “El Cor de la ciutat,” “Lo Cartanya,” and “Niños robados.” In theater, she has performed in “Rigoletto,” “Autoindefinido,” “La Ruina,” and “Mientras tanto.” Marta is the narrator of La Jauría, highly conscious of the use of women as objects in general, as well as in cinema and theater. Her performance strength brings to life an acting delivery that is reduced to reading a text.
Clara Fernández de Loaysa was responsible for the casting of actors. Hired at the office of Ramón Pilaces, representative of Carmen Maura and Ángela Molina among others, she served as a personal assistant to Álex de la Iglesia for a year and currently works as a talent agent for actors.
Technical team:
Óscar Villasante Ochoa, is a camera operator, filmmaker, and editor. His career in film has focused on documentaries. Óscar has been the most important person in this project; he was there looking at the early versions of the script, then through the casting process, rehearsals, filming, and finally editing the material. It is very easy to work with him because he listens to others and does not take offense at criticism, but rather builds upon it. We have collaborated since 1990. He has two children and is up to date on the issues surrounding sex and violence among adolescents.
Álvaro Sánchez Casado is a sound recordist and musician. A sound technician since 1994, he has worked in live sound and as a backline technician, designs sound, and works as an ENG sound technician and stage machinery technician. He works in advertising, fiction, reality shows, film, and TV. He is also a professional musician-drummer. Álvaro played a fundamental role in the production of the videos, as a crucial part of them relies on the spoken word. Sensitive to the project’s content, he has been a calm and professional presence throughout all recordings.
Simon Lund, is a film technician, camera operator, and director. He worked for the Filmoteca Nacional between 2008 and 2013 and is the executive director of Cineric, a film restoration company in New York and Portugal. He has worked as a technician in the realization of works by various artists, including Hans Haacke at the MNCARS, and the film Competition. He serves as the technical director of the project. He handled the entire technical camera side and post-production, including effects, edits, copy production, subtitling, the website, etc.
Other participants:
Silvia San Miguel, Silvia San Miguel is a composer-pianist. She completed her composition studies at Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA. She composes multidisciplinary works such as “El Quijote”, “Homenaje al Bosque”, and “Lisztmanía” among others, as well as music for documentaries. In 2008, I collaborated with Silvia on Cabaret inmobiliario. Silvia composed the two songs used in La Jauría: Hombres perros and Opinión Pública culpable. The cheerful melody contrasts with the protest lyrics.
Isaac Alberto Sánchez Martín, self-taught musician. Bassist and guitarist in various groups in Madrid. Composer of soundtracks for short films and other projects https://soundcloud.com/isaac_in/sets. Isaac composed the music for the piece La Novicia; the dark texture captures the feeling of confinement inherent to the situation.
Celina Alvarado, worked as a self-promotion producer for the launch of Canal+ España. She completed the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU (2009) New York. She has worked as a UX consultant and as a professor of New Advertising and Filmmaking at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid since 2015. Celina worked as a personal assistant providing support at various stages of the project in an effort to improve the videos. We have been collaborating since the nineties.
Isabel Leo de Blas, a teacher with more than twenty-five years of experience in public school classrooms. She produces children’s theater with students between 10 and 16 years old. She studied theater, philosophy, and languages (English and French). She is an amateur actress in the ARGEA theater group in Hervás. Reflection combined with the imagination of theater are tools for finding oneself and changing the world. In 2018 in Tangier, she won the prize for set design and direction in children’s theater. Isabel made the pigskin dress that I designed for La Novicia, which became the icon of the “No violarás” campaign.
Jimena del Carmen González is a dressmaker. She creates wardrobe based on a concept. She has worked for designers in fashion shows. I have been working with Jimena on different projects since 2018. Jimena made the tissue paper dress for the scene of La Jauría in the performance.
Administration:
Sergio Tombesi, holds an economics degree from the University of Kent and since 2018 has been the administrator of the Fundación Mosis. He has handled the entire administration of the “No violarás” project, from its budget to the reporting phase.
Marketing and distribution
Beatriz Lucas is a journalist specializing in education. She has worked in national and international media outlets such as El País, CNNenespanol.com, and Vice, served as editor-in-chief at the daily newspaper ADN, and is now the coordinator of educational projects and programs at the Emisora Escuela M21 of the Madrid City Council. She is an associate professor at the Universidad Carlos III. Bea has followed and supported this project for more than ten years; in fact, her involvement led to Violación Nueva York, which was originally published in English, being published in Spain.
Eva Brunner is a journalist specializing in International Information, who has worked in Spain, Guatemala, England, Colombia, and Ecuador for Spanish and international media. She always writes from a gender perspective. She joined the team in June with the intention of bringing the artworks to educational centers.
