New SAF Art Spaces
Part 1 of the photo tour of Sharjah Biennial 11: Re:emerge. Towards a New Cultural Cartography, 13 March - 13 May 2013. Curator: Yuko Hasegawa. More than 100 participants.
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Venue: SAF Art Spaces J
Portrait of Avar. 2010
Four-channel colour video (46:49 min) and 16 pieces of latex jewellery
The Avars are an ethnic group in the Republic of Dagestan, which became part of Russia in 1860. Today, as a result of domestic politics, migrants from the north Caucasuses are viewed with prejudice, especially in Moscow. The videos in this work document a performance in Moscow. For this event, the artist made a traditional Avar dress out of flesh-coloured material instead of the customary blue or red. She also created latex moulds from traditional jewellery. Dressed in this costume, she travelled on public transport to the exhibition space. She stood there for thirty minutes, mimicking a doll from the ethnographic museum, and then gave away the latex jewellery to the audience. Portrait of Avar asks if one is born with a certain identity, or if one can choose how to identify oneself.
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
© Text: SB11 Guidebook
Part 1 of the photo tour of Sharjah Biennial 11: Re:emerge. Towards a New Cultural Cartography, 13 March - 13 May 2013. Curator: Yuko Hasegawa. More than 100 participants.