15 MINUTES OUTSIDE OF THE TENT
Performance & exhibition project in collaboration with Shuvo Rafiqul
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria, 2024
Camping | migration | festival | nature | elections | circus | blood | someone’s wedding | red cross | fair | protest | refugees | hiking | military base | adventure | gardening | sun protection | cattle breeding | natural disaster | nomads | homelessness | art fair booth
"I woke up and looked at the world from behind the curtain of my tent. The river was roaring madly outside. There were other people sitting beside me. They said this was their home, where their ancestors had lived. The woman. Her scarlet-scraped feet were completely red, but it brought her so much happiness to celebrate this life.
The others, in the corner, remained silent the whole time. Newcomers... they had come to me from far away, but I didn’t know them. A crowd began to gather outside, blocking the view of my river. They were shouting, pushing. The “Wahltent” sign hung over the entrance, and we all sat inside, unable to get out."
The 15 minutes outside of the tent performance & exhibition offers a brief yet vivid exploration of the duality of our world, presenting the tent as a multifaceted visual metaphor for both temporary shelter/home and personal/shared space, connecting themes of emigration, cultural identity, the refugee experience, and human interaction with nature and one another.
Photo Courtesy: Kweku Okokroko