Passports have varying degrees of power. While certain passports allow travel to almost anywhere in the world without any hindrance, travel is heavily restricted for many citizens as certain countries have less powerful or blacklisted passports.
This satirical ceremony/modern ritual is triggered by the intrusive processes citizens with less powerful passports have to face before entering another country, that perpetuate inequality based on citizenship and questions the specific socio-political hierarchies that are determined within the global community.
The "Art of Being Me" project creates an opportunity for conversation between artists working in related fields but from different cultures. The performance "Passport Blessing Ceremony" will be followed by a post-show discussion between the contemporary choreographer and performance artists, Venuri Perera, and Lili Raubinek, moderated by Noémi Herczog critic, who will together explore the issues of nation-state and national identity - in one case in a nationalist, in the other case, in a global context. The starting point for the conversation will be The Passport Blessing Ceremony, a performance by Colombian-born Venuri Perera, currently based in Amsterdam, and Diorama Group's Diorama with Hungarians, which will next be shown at Trafó on 31 October.
Post-show discussion:
Passports from Srí Lanka and Hungary: Identity, Nation, Globalism
We would like to discuss how two contemporary choreographers and performance artists - Lili Raubinek and Venuri Perera - approach the seemingly old-fashioned question of national identity in the time of globalization and violent nationalism. How and why do they use the technique of the ritual, performance art, conceptualism and also autobiographical methods? In Hungary there is a tendency among contemporary performing artists to re-approach the problem of the 'national' identity which seems to be expropriated by the Hungarian nationalists. Why does a contemporary choreographer in Hungary decide with her collegues to create performance art in a seemingly conservative topic? Why does a performance artist, born in Colombo living in Amsterdam raise the question of the nation-state in the 21st Century? Do the two of them have anything to say to each other?
Participants:
Lili Raubinek, choreographer
Venuri Perera, choreographer, performance artist
Moderator: Noémi Herczog, critic
Concept, Creation, Performance: Venuri Perera
Conceived as a part of "Dance Archive Box" project as a commission for Singapore International Festival of Arts '15. Also performed at nGbK Berlin '23, Alserkal Arts Foundation Dubai '23, Mousonturm, Frankfurt ‘22, NAF Makhanda South Africa ‘22, ‘Laiks Dejot, Riga, Latvia ’19, CREA conference Nepal ‘19, Asia Triennial Manchester ’18, Tiyatro Medresesi Turkey ’18, Galle Literary Festival’ 18, Colombo Art Biennale in Summerhall- Edinburgh Festival ’17, Galleri Konstepidemin,Sweden ’16 (Video Documentation), The Colombo Art Biennale ’16, The Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama, Japan ’16 Critical Path, Sydney, Australia 15, Barim Residency, Gwangju, South Korea ’15
Venuri Perera is an independent choreographer, performance artist, curator and facilitator from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her work has dealt with violent nationalism, patriarchy, border rituals, colonial heritage and class. She explores the power dynamics of perception, anonymity, sensuality by subverting frameworks of ritual through performative experiments in public space, theatres and galleries. Since 2004, she has collaborated in multidisciplinary projects locally and internationally. Her solo works have been invited to festivals/platforms/symposia in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa since 2010. She has collaborated with choreographers Geumhyung Jeong (Zürcher Theaterspektakel), Natsuko Tezuka (Saison Foundation, Kyoto Experiment), Zwoisy Mears-Clarke (Theaterformen, Goethe Coproduction Fund) and Eisa Jocson (ongoing / Mousonturm). Venuri conceived and curated the programmes of Colombo Dance Platform from 2015-2020 (Goethe-Institut Colombo). She is a founding member of the independent artist collective The Packet a visiting lecturer at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo and a member of the Dance Panel of the Arts Council in Sri Lanka. Attempting to create conditions for compassion and healing in her life and work, failing and learning, she remains curiously optimistic. A graduate of Das Theatre ‘21, she is currently based in Amsterdam.
Supporters: EUNICH-Project, Česká Centra Budapest, Österreichisches Kulturforum Budapest, Dutch Embassy Budapest
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EUNIC-Project |
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NL Netherlands |
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The Art of Being Me |
