Ignis Fatuus, aka the fallacious promise part 4
2022 - 2023 video installation - two channels - 4 mn 19 - dimensions variable.
The bonds of migration and displacement: debt, violence, slavery and the vicious circle of poverty.
Ashok(fake name) is a missing person. He has been a victim of an enforced disappearance* in Pakistan. Victims of enforced disappearance are people who have literally disappeared from their loved ones and their community. They go missing when state officials (or someone acting with state consent) grab them from the street or their homes, deny it, or refuse to say where they are. – Definition by Amnesty International.
After being detained and tortured for almost 2 years, he escaped death and fled abroad. He is now a “recognized” refugee and lives hidden in a secret location. Nevertheless, his legal status doesn’t allow him to work, so all his basic needs depend entirely on charity.
And Wael and Elissavet. Wael flew to Syria 10 years ago. He is also a recognized refugee living in Greece. Having papers and being allowed to work didn't mean life became easier. There he has experienced and witnessed exploitation, poverty, racism, violence and injustice. Finally, after about 7 years living in Greece, the Asylum Service of Greece has out of the blue revoked his asylum. But hope is his motto. Wael defines this chapter of his life as an empowerment journey. In Athens, he has met his girlfriend Elissavet.
Adaptation in Urdu, Arabic and Greek of the lyrics of the song "The Merry Old Land of Oz" by E.Y. Harburg
Artist's Bio
Clémence B. T. D. Barret is a self- taught visual artist, who considers herself transnational.
Migration, identity, otherness, freedom, ugliness and loss are some favorite notions she has been exploring. She has often used her own experiences as filters to enter into, investigate and understand these notions in new geographies and communities. Her expressions are composed of varied media - video, photography, sound, movement, objects, paintings, monotypes - combined or not.
Clemence’s works are politically engaged. Her multidisciplinary practice has also recently responded to he uncertainty of the Anthropocene and the pandemic era. Her works have been shown in various exhibitions and art festivals internationally - in France, in Italy, in Spain, in Finland, in the UK, in Greece, in Germany, in Serbia and in Russia, in India, in Thailand, in Myanmar, in Vietnam, also in Argentina, in Colombia, in Mexico, in Morocco and in the US-.
Instagram @clemence_b._t._d._barret
Website: https://www.clemencebarret.com/