Define Beauty

DEFINE BEAUTY

live art performance

Latsia Municipal Hall,
Nicosia - Cyprus

Part of the Solo Exhibition: 'Performing the Painting'

1 December 2008
Duration: 15 minutes

Materials

Artist's body, white dress made out of paper, mirror, big pieces of charcoal, red lipstick, audience members.

Description of action

I wear a white dress made out of paper. I enter the space while holding a mirror and looking the reflection of my face in the mirror. I take a position in the space with my back turned towards the audience members. For a few minutes I stand still while looking at them through the mirror. Then I turn around and face them. I use a red lipstick and I make a gesture to put the lipstick on my lips but instead of placing it on my lips, I smash it at the left side of my chest, at the heart. Then with my right hand I tap on my heart in the rhythm of my heartbeat while looking each person in their eyes. Then I sit on the floor. The dress opens up and becomes bigger. I empty a black fabric bag which is full of big pieces of charcoal. I arrange the charcoals as a pile on the floor. I take a piece and I start applying it on my dress. I take another piece of charcoal and I do the same. When I use all the pieces of charcoal on the dress, I use a scissors to cut the dress and come out of it. I leave the dress on the floor and I finally abandon the space.

Documentation

Photography: Charalambos Mavromatis & Julia Andreou

Paper dress construction: Christina Georgiou