Molt, 2019

Molt 

Verb 

(of a bird or animal) to lose feathers, skin, or hair as a natural

process before a new growth of

feathers, skin, or hair

noun 

an act, process, or an instance of molting.

something that is dropped in molting.

The surface area of my body is approximately 1.55m2 . 

It occupies a volume of approximately 1.85 foot3 . It weighs around 53kg . 

Not much when you think of it. What kind of information can be held in this much space? How can it be measured? Is any of it of value to anyone other than me? Can it be harvested? Scan, extract, touch, hear, impress. Breathe. Am I at a risk of loosing data when I as much as fart? 

Like most of my work, this too is autobiographical. I measure, draw from and document layers of skin, flesh, organ. I introspect. I find layers of loss, of creation, of vulnerability, secrets, intertwined in the history of my body. If I dig deeper, maybe, I will find the first cells that still keep me physically connected to my mother. 

Using the research undertaken at the CAN (April/May 2019), as the basis of this body of work and its exhibition, I shed bits of myself in the gallery. 

Photo credit: Chroma Istanbul for Display, Berlin and Neha Kudchadkar