Violence affects the human body physically and psychologically. When a body is
exposed to violence, it is affected by pain and trauma. The human body is not a bundle
of flesh and blood. It is a collection of feelings, beliefs, and culture. When these are
threatened in various ways and justice appears uneven, the mind does not know whom
to approach and maintains silence.
When a community is repeatedly subject to harassment it has no outlet to release its
pent-up emotions. It is enveloped by helplessness, fear and silence. When the history
and culture of my ancestors are destroyed, I feel as if my limbs are torn from me. My
fear, helplessness and longing find expression through my creations. Although there are
no answers to my questions, today, my successors will identify what I have recorded.
My artistic creations express my instincts and experiences. They elaborate my visuals.
Copper is a convenient medium for me. The mediums may not give direct meanings. I
express myself through similies and metaphors, through distortions and blending of
different shapes, I give expression to what I cannot say.
Metal is subject to different treatments – cutting, heating, hammering, blending etc.
This is comparable to the pain inflicted by the perpetrators of violence. The scars are left
as they were. Physical pain might abate but not so trauma. Trauma is a collection of
many feelings. When I transfer my fear into an artistic creation, I realize a temporary
psycho-therapy will bring about peace of mind.