The cycle of City of Women May’s events continue with the opening of the exhibition Decoding Resilience, which was created as part of the European BE PART project. The exhibition is the final destination of a performative journey devised by Samar Zughool, Behnaz Aliesfahanipour, Safa Saad and Sammar Al Kerawe. Samar, Behnaz and Sammar were cleaning passersbys’ shoes at various locations in Slovenia, conversing with their owners while Safa took the role of an observer. During shoe cleaning, they navigated the power dynamics by conversing on expectations from those who have the status of a foreigner or are otherwise confronted with the role of being a foreigner in this country. After cleaning, the artists accepted voluntary contributions and photographed the cleaned shoes. Later, the four artists transformed the shoe photographs into images and sketches, filled with statements and comments from their owners.

The artists decoded social communication through street performances by navigating power dynamics and connecting them to a broader aspect of international politics and geopolitics within the context of contemporary times. From a shoe in Koper to a shoe in the British Museum in London, the process of decoding was mostly focused on decoloniality.

In addition to the exhibition, the artists will host a workshop in the format of a public performative journey named Embodying Decoloniality, which will take place at the same location. Embodying Decoloniality is a public performative journey that uses performing arts and dance therapy techniques to navigate and unpack emancipatory communication. The workshop is inspired by the novel “A Tree Like Rain” by Samar Habib and is part of the SAMA public performative journeys and Community arts series.

Collaborators:  Samar Zughool, Behnaz Aliesfahanipour, Safa Saad, Sammar Al Kerawe