This 2-channel video installation reflects on the fragile human cost of displacement, drawing inspiration from the viral image of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian Kurdish child whose death became a global symbol of the refugee crisis. Projected onto limestone powder—a medium that shares the same chemical properties as human bones and embodies both permanence and erosion—the videos examine the refugee body as a site of profound vulnerability and resilience. The project critically juxtaposes the tangible reality of the refugee experience with mediated images of forced migration, engaging with the often superficial emotional responses of the Western petit-bourgeoisie. Through this lens, the work interrogates the complex intersection of global empathy, performative grief, and the enduring precarity faced by displaced lives.
Commissioned by:
PERPETUAL REVOLUTION: The Image and Social Change (Curated by Joanna Lehan)
at ICP Museum, New York, 2017
https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/perpetual-revolution-the-image-and-social-change
Additionally presented at: Dark Ocean at Macalester Gallery, 2017
https://www.macalester.edu/gallery/pastexhibits/2017-18/dark-ocean/
Video Installation
2-channel HD video with sound projected on limestone powder.
9min 56 secs
