This edition of aemi’s artist in focus features the above interview with experimental filmmaker Juana Robles discussing her work and practice with aemi Co-Director Daniel Fitzpatrick.
aemi artist in focus – Juana Robles
aemi first screened Juana Robles’ work as part of aemi’s ongoing collaboration with GAZE, a Dublin based queer film festival in operation since 1992 that continues to give voice to perspectives and communities that have otherwise been historically neglected. Juana’s film ‘Alicia (2024)‘ screened there in a programme called Ursa Minor alongside works by Kenneth Anger, P. Staff, Jennifer Mehigan and Colm Higgins (a graduate of aemi’s Developing Your Practice as a Film Artist programme). Funded by the Arts Council through a film project award Alicia ably demonstrated the expansive breadth of Juana’s practice. Shot on Super8, and partly blown up to 16mm to facilitate a collage like exploration of the film material, it contains much of what we find so vital and original in Juana’s practice.
While we are initially struck in Alicia by Juana’s mastery of film form, the intricate play of layered film material intersecting with the textured compositions of Darja Kazimara’s music, what becomes most striking is the intimacy of Juana’s portraiture. This intimacy, and how it is achieved, is something we discussed in detail when we met with Juana to discuss her practice (interview above). It is evident throughout a diverse practice that has shifted and weaved modes and approaches and it is particularly pronounced in her most recent series of films – ‘Bodyverses’.
Bodyverses is an ongoing series of short films shot on Super 8mm and 16mm, featuring established and emerging performance artists from Ireland and Northern Ireland. The series includes key figures who have shaped the performance art landscape since 1975, using their bodies as a medium to explore personal, cultural, and societal complexities. These films reflect on the enduring significance of performance art—its commitment to presence, simple yet powerful actions, body language, and the transformation of everyday or found materials. They also explore themes of healing and connection, addressing personal and collective trauma, while fostering intimate engagement with audiences in public space. The project highlights performance art’s intertwined influence across Ireland and Northern Ireland, shaping artistic discourse both locally and internationally.
As part of this Artist in Focus you can watch for a limited time Juana’s film Bodyverses – Frances Mezetti: 2nd Lock (2025). This film follows Dublin artist Frances Mezzetti as she explores her lifelong bond with her sister Maria through performance. Over the course of a year, Frances navigates caregiving, memory, and emotional responsibility, revisiting pivotal moments from Maria’s childhood and major life transitions. Site-specific performances at the family’s former home at the Grand Canal, alongside intimate studio work, create a space for reflection, transformation, and release. Juana also expands on her approach to this material in the accompanying interview.
Juana Robles film Bodyverses – Frances Mezetti: 2nd Lock (2025) available to view for a limited time.
Juana Robles (b. 1983, Tortosa, Spain) is a Kilkenny-based artist-filmmaker. Her work, often created with analog techniques like 16mm and Super 8, explores the body, identity, memory, and resilience through immersive, tactile cinema. Drawing from performance and ritual, she blurs personal and collective histories.
Juana has studied at the Lucerne School of Art and Design and Zurich University of the Arts. Her films have been shown at festivals worldwide, including Perth International Film Festival, Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, Bogotá Experimental Film Festival, Paris Festival for Different and Experimental Cinema, Videoex Experimental Film & Video Festival Zurich, and exhibited in art contexts like CAN Centre d’art Neuchâtel, VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow and Askeaton Contemporary Arts. Single works by Juana Robles are distributed by Light Cone (Paris) and Collectif Jeune Cinéma (Paris). In October 2025, Juana participated in BAICC International Artistic Residency for Filmmaking in Toronto, developed by (S8) Mostra de Cinema Periférico in collaboration with the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT). In February 2026, a two-program retrospective at LA Inesperada Film Festival in Barcelona, curated by Miquel Martí Freixas, will feature nearly her complete short-film history.
She is also a co-founder of Out of Focus, an initiative in Kilkenny dedicated to avant-garde cinema, and has contributed to the experimental film community through her roles at festivals like Videoex and the Lausanne Underground Film Festival (LUFF).
