project image
Courtney Kessel
TERRORIST TREATMENT

first performed on February 17, 2018
Ohio University Art Gallery, Athens, OH
performed once in 2018

YELENA MYSHKO

Arnhem, Netherlands
contact@yelenamyshko.com
yelenamyshko.com

TERRORIST TREATMENT
YELENA MYSHKO

In this Skype performance I begin by sitting down in front of the audience to get their full attention, then proceed to change clothes and put on a red dress. I then starts to body paint myself red. First I body paint my face, then neck, hands, legs, and feet. Then I show my painted body to the audience. Finally, when I am transformed into a red silhouette, I stand up and go to the back of the room so that the audience can see my full body. I stand still for a moment to let the audience contemplate what they just have seen.

This performance belongs to a series of actions inspired by suicide bombers. I play with the unexpected, implying I am a terrorist. I want to make the public aware of their vulnerability. If I were a real terrorist carrying a bomb, the public might have died as the result of this exhibition. I want to detract from the stigma of terrorism belonging to the Middle East, and underline that it can happen anywhere, to anybody. The moral of the performance is that we should be aware of our mortality and vulnerability to be more mindful of life.