Dropping
Art Show
By Rebeen Majed
On June 10th, 2021
At Esta Gallery2 in the Culture Factory of Sulaimany
Curator: Avan Omar
Dropping” is a direct-to-camera performance by Rebeen Majid
Hamarafiq.
The theme of torture often appears in the works of Kurdish
artists, which has an obvious connection with the history of
their nation and the painful experiences of their families and
friends.
Drops of milk fall at regular intervals onto the naked head of
the artist filmed against a black background. Within a few
minutes a small puddle of milk is formed on the top of the
artist’s skull, and a thin trickle runs down his weary face.
What we see is an obvious reference to the so- called Chinese
water torture, in which cold water is slowly dripped onto the
victim’s head. Seemingly mild and “humane”, deprived of
spectacular violence and blood-shed, it is in reality painful,
mentally debilitating and considered one of the most effective.
The theme of torture often appears in the works of Kurdish
artists, which has an obvious connection with the history of
their nation and the painful experiences of their families and
friends.
The motif of dripping milk also refers to Rebeen’s experience of
fatherhood. The artist looked after his newborn daughter while
his wife was working toward her university degree. Attempting to
cope with a new situation, weary with the day-to-day monotony
and challenges, the artist was also haunted by fear for his
daughter’s future, his desire to protect his daughter from
experienced by Kurdish women sense of being unable to break
through limiting social, religious and cultural circumstances.
Rebeen Majid An artist and curator based in
Sulaimany, South Kurdistan. Graduated from several places
for his studies such as the Institute of fine art, the
university for his bachelor and masters at the famous
Goldsmith University, London. His work contains many
different mediums and materials, fluctuating between
concepts and displaying his outcomes in a contemporary
vision. As well as, Rebeen had arranged and conducted many
projects inside the Kurdish region and oversees.
About The Show
The performance Dropping is a video performance made in 2014,
the duration is 8 minutes and 37 seconds. This video has
portraited Rebeen’s face and there is the repetitive drop of
milk that consistently falls on his head . This Video has been
displayed in my occasions and events overseas but the first time
in Kurdistan and this art project, These people are working.
Been on board for this project has boosted the main concept.
This performance is an effort to highlight unfamiliar
perspective of fatherhood in our familiar community. The
commitment and obligations that decentralizing our aims. His
performance had generated a series of discourse that most of the
audience involved.
Dropping performance was available for the audience, during its
time initially on the 10th of Jun 2021 at the Esta Gallery / The
Culture Factory in Sulaimany, with the artist himself that
delegated his performance. At the Esta Gallery been displayed on
the wall surface within six meters wide, with a specific
atmosphere to enhance the quietness. Meanwhile, the audiences
were working out their optimum portion to have a better
perception. Hence, the first day of the show, after the first
hour of showing the performance, all of them attended people
been invited to the open discussion and most of them have
contributed. This was conducted by Halgurd Baram and Avan Omer.
At that table of discussion, many concepts popped out such as
the artist’s roles, milk as a material, cycling routine,
torturing and its connection to the others and the performance
and the fatherhood’s responsibility. The duration was for more
than two hours and many of the audience were explaining their
impression with the first exposure of seeing the performance.
Thanks for those who were helping and contributing this show
especially: Daro Rasul, Azar Osman, Hemn Marif, Rozhgar Mahmood,
Shirwan Fatih, Chya Jamal, Halgurd Baram, Rayan Yousif, Homan
Wahbi Rasul.