Marina Mocks Tech's Grip at Whitney Biennial

Julio Torres and Martine Gutierrez's performance 'Marina' premiered at Manhattan's Little Island on Thursday, August 26, 2026, as part of the Whitney Biennial program. According to a report from Hyperallergic, the work is a grotesque parade of visual delights that aims to defang our toxic relationship with screens by choosing laughter over fear, a stark contrast to more common dystopian visions.

The air was humid with a storm that never came as the audience entered The Amph, Little Island's open-air amphitheater. On stage, a figure in a burgundy pinstripe suit silently mouthed into a payphone on a wooden dock. The dock was suspended above a murky, apocalyptic underwater scene. Video screens framed by coral outcroppings played water-wave patterns.

A Parasitic Life in the Gowanus

In the waters of the Gowanus Canal lives Marina, played by Martine Gutierrez. She resides with her overprotective older sister and an anglerfish named Nano. Their existence is parasitic. They collect sinking trash to reinforce their shells, a process that could be tracked on a bizarre set of stats. This life goes unquestioned until a distracted construction worker drops his smartphone into the water. Nano asks, 'Is this a rectangle?' without irony.

Marina becomes entranced by the device. She is drawn into a world of endless scrolling and influencer highlight reels. These influencers peddle a familiar doctrine. They suggest a woman's self-worth comes only through a man's validation. The plot, as reported, is 'Frankensteined' from classic tales of scorned women. It references sources from Homer's Odyssey to the 2009 film Jennifer's Body, creating a kind of theatrical standings of iconic, wronged characters.

The Online Masquerade

Marina's initial foray online is well-intentioned. She snaps a selfie atop her garbage pile and uploads it to OkCupid. No one swipes right. So, she does what many do online. She pretends to be someone else. Her chosen alter-ego is Ariel from Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid. This conventionally attractive persona lures suitors like Jared. He claims to be a 6'5" CEO and 'a man of faith' but states he 'will not be tasked with the emotional labor of dealing with your trauma.'

These suitors are not a catch. When they realize they have been catfished, they grow aggressive. They then face Marina's homicidal ire. Their Apple Watches and motorcycle jackets are absorbed into her growing junkyard ecology.

The Detective and a Twist of Fate

Back on the dock, the pinstriped narrator is a detective. She is determined to solve the case of the missing 'fuckboys.' She recruits a garbageman named Dino to go undercover. She tells him, 'I’ll make it worth your while, but not by a lot. I’m solving this case on spec.'

In a twist, Marina turns out to be exactly Dino's type. The report describes his preferences as large claws, 'kinky,' and no interest in deodorant. As the saying goes, there's a lid for every pot.

Throughout this journey, Marina faces a great challenge. She must learn to locate her sense of identity in her own existence. It cannot be found in the men she kills or the man she loves. It certainly is not in the carefully constructed chaos of the screen. The performance ends with this concrete struggle, leaving the audience with the image of her ever-growing shell of absorbed technology.