I Dive Into the Well of My Body
It is a series of acrylic paintings that address the concept of absence, which has a vital placement in political and intellectual realms and can be a solid background to the issues revolving around identity trans-immigration. Piles of empty clothes are depicted against a blank white background, focusing on our current immigration conditions and exploring its layers, how humanity has washed ashore.
Surrounding images through newspapers, magazines and other sources of media helps me to paint a picture of different human situations beyond reality. In 2015 Alan Kurdi, a little boy who lost his life fleeing the war in Syria, was found lying face-down, attempting to reach Greece. His body had washed up along the shore, half in the sand and the other half in the water. It is a historic flow of refugees who are still following the death route for survival. Human bodies in small rubber inflatable boats, and life jackets, they out from an isolated beach late at night. After more than thirty years in exile, I recognize that painting is the way of my presence and existence.
Acrylic on canvas, 200cm x 150cm, Malmo, Sweden, 2020
Photo: SUSA Space