Middle Gate

In his work, Hiwa K examines the events, encounters and many cultural and social paradoxes that have determined his life and personal experience as a political refugee. In Moon Calendar (Iraq), he tap-dances to his own heartbeat, which the public can hear live. As the dance proceeds, he loses control over his fast-moving feet, which after a certain point are unable to keep up with his heartbeat. The video was shot in one of Saddam Hussein’s former security buildings in Iraq. Although the video only shows a rehearsal, the viewer inevitably reads the work through the context of historical events, and the traumas of people who were imprisoned, tortured and killed there. The heart as the centre of the body is challenged. By denying it and remaining silent about the event, the artist paradoxically renders it visible. Thus, such an immerse practice becomes not only the possibility to tell the story of a people’s pain, but also opens the way for healing and overcoming trauma.