Hands-on-Hips​

2024

Live Performance - Installation

The Blue Of High Zeniths, International Performance Art Gathering

Goethe Institut Georgian, Tbilisi, Georgia

 

 

Embark on a long durational performance, expanding upon the foundations of my earlier work Hands on Hips, which debuted in the exhibition Trespassing at the Huis Marseille Museum for Photography. In that piece, I created a 4x4 meter carpet using braided hair as my medium. Now, I embark on weaving an even more intricate and expansive tapestry – a reinterpretation of the Anatolian carpet, or Kelim – where tradition meets transformation.

The Anatolian carpet is more than a craft; it is a storyteller, with each motif holding its own distinct meaning and history. By weaving with braided hair, I challenge conventional materials while honouring the tradition of endless repetition, pattern, and symbolism. This living mosaic embodies cultural narratives, intersecting personal identity with communal heritage.

In this performance, my focus shifts beyond the act of weaving to engage deeply with the patterns themselves. By manipulating and queering the established motifs, I explore the intersection of tradition and individuality. Female-centred symbols from Anatolian carpets become a point of departure for my own queering motifs, opening up new pathways within this rich craft. This process not only challenges heteronormative and patriarchal interpretations but also reveals the body as both the weaver and the woven, the artist and the artwork.

Through this evolving tapestry, I hope to bridge memory, identity, and transformation, reimagining the Anatolian carpet as a space where tradition and contemporary expression can coexist and thrive.

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