Gratitude
Sitting on a hill in Iceland, I began a ritual with my grandfather’s prayer beads. Repeating Aziz—dear—a hundred times, I let the rhythm guide me, uncertain of where it would take me. Then, unexpectedly, the words shifted to cursing, releasing a buried stillness, as if clearing a foundation for something yet to emerge.
What followed was a quiet transformation. I began reciting the names of my family, each name carrying a weight of memory and connection. The act of repetition became a private reckoning, a meditation on relationships and emotions often left unspoken.
This piece marked a turning point in my art-making, as I felt I had discovered a new medium that allowed me to connect deeply with my emotions and ideas. The work unfolded between release and reflection, revealing the tension between vulnerability and endurance—a space for remembering, acknowledging, and holding the intangible essence of those who shape us.
Performance, Video installation 2014
Gratitude
This video was created during a scholarship awarded by the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery in Fort Myers, Florida, where three students were selected to hand-deliver Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree notes to Reykjavik, Iceland. Shown as a large video projection at the Rauschenberg Gallery, the piece reflects an emotional turning point in my practice. During this journey, I discovered that performance and the use of my body as a medium spoke to me in ways I hadn’t experienced before, allowing for a profound exploration of repetition, memory, and the connections that shape us.
Video Installation, 2014