Delinking

Artist Statement

Performances often exist only in closed institutional spaces, never reaching a secondary audience. One of the key aspects of Delinking (a term borrowed from the 'decolonial project' of Madina V. Tlostanova and Walter D. Mignolo) is its life beyond the exhibition opening.

These photographs document a performance in Milan, during which my face was painted with traditional mehndi, or henna, designs from Africa, India and the Middle East. As soon as my face was completely covered with different leafy and symmetrical patterns, the decoration was destroyed: all the blank spots where skin was still visible were filled in, so that my face was entirely covered with dark-green mehndi paste. After a few hours, when the paste dried and was washed off, I was left with a new mask: an orange-brown stain that lasted about a week.


2013

This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 11