What are you like?
Brave.
Where is your courage?
Here, in my heart.
Why else do you need that heart?
To love.
When I first began working on the subject of domestic violence, I was sometimes told I looked too good and that smiling was inappropriate for someone speaking about hurt. Over the years, however, society’s perception of victims of violence has changed dramatically.
I have learned to work with shame: I draw on psychoanalysis and symbolism. I “sewed a heart” into my father and performatively lifted my deceased mother from her grave. The language I use is radical – it binds my fragmented parts together. My face softens with age, and my projects awaken the need for empathy in others. But for some time now, I have been preoccupied with the question of boundaries. That is why I seek to reflect on the limits of language – which shapes my identity, my image, and the image of others who have experienced violence.
Performance based on a text of the same title.
The performance premiered on 27 April 2025 at TR Warszawa, as part of the performance evening Face, curated by Michał Borczuch.
Source: https://trwarszawa.pl/program/twarz-wieczor-performatywny/
ph. W. Sobolewski