I look at my face, my hands, the marks on my arms, my ribs, and the words that delineate the boundaries of participation and belonging within humanity. How does my speech, the language that my mouth has absorbed since childhood, define me and my role in today's global discourse of lunacy? When I speak to you, an alien, a stranger you; when our mouths merge, our teeth sink in and crumble against each other, when our saliva mingles as one flowing entity, when my strangeness crosses the boundaries of yours, when the noise in our ears synchronizes, and as we lay on the crumpled sheets with our liquids stains, we stand on the border of two states, on the red line, who becomes less of an alien in that moment? Does democracy, with its rights and freedoms, flow into my mouth with your saliva, causing my lips to crack from sudden abundance? Or are your hands bound by the uncompromising grip of totalitarian torpor?
My body is framed by rebellion and freedom, with no opportunity to return to the place of my coerced roots. These words on my body serve as a barcode for uniformed men who search for signs of impending revolt in every letter. The word, as a component of speech, is deprived of the freedom of expression and the right to symbolize freedom through the letters that form words.
Every border control serves as a loyalty test. As young girls are tested for virginity, male hands inspect my body, searching for the holes made by the warm flesh of Western liberalism in my own flesh designed to store, protect and reproduce traditional values. Each time I cross the border, they inspect my thoughts and thoroughly search my bag, looking for signs of affiliation with matters of morality, principles, and a political regime.
In my project "Freedom of Speech," I delve into the exploration of my body, engaging in profound experiences of sexuality and connection, ultimately merging with another body through the lens of identifying my physical self with my nationality within the context of war. Through the meticulous act of scanning my body, including its orifices and bones, while simultaneously immersing myself in personal love notes and excerpts from essays reflecting inevitable, forced belonging to a state deemed as terrorist, I aim to provoke intense introspection and robust dialogue.The actions depicted in the video and accompanying writings underscore the intricate interplay between physicality, sexuality, and political context. Here, the body emerges as both subject and object: subject to scrutiny akin to external forces' relentless gaze and object performing this scrutiny against another body. Power dynamics fluidly shift, contingent upon nuanced movement and precise positioning in space.Through sexual elements and meticulous exploration of my corporeal form, the artwork captures the raw essence of the internal struggle between imposed belonging, inherent alienation, and their effects on perception of one's sexuality. It confronts the notion of "stop thinking to feel the pleasure," emphasising constantly and brutally occupied mind. Utilizing a flashlight for clinical precision in navigating the body, the piece symbolizes a relentless quest for transparency amidst the complexities of flesh, borders, and internal strife.