Videoperformance 2017

Here, the artist relives a childhood experience in a kind of dream scene. When she was 7, there were artificial tattoos for sale at every kiosk in her hometown, which were stuck to the skin with spit and stayed there for a day or two. Tattoos have always been an important cultural asset in human history, as they capture and make visible the stories of people. Already 5300 years ago there were tattoos. This is also the case with the glacier man Ötzi, who is considered to be the oldest evidence to date. Tattoo art was also proven to have been in use by the islanders of French Polynesia 1500 years ago. The Tahitian term "te tatau" became over the years the English word tattoo. In the 18th century, the British sailor James Cook and the explorer Joseph Banks brought tattoos back to Europe from their travels in the Pacific - on their own bodies, of course. The artist tattooed herself with the stickers until there was hardly any free space left on her upper body. One hears children in various languages from 1-30 count among them again and again. This is how long it takes for the stickers to sit firmly on the skin and resemble real Tottoos. The children still like to use the tattoos today, which indicates a deep inner desire that is inherent in man to let his skin speak. For Tahitians, the tattoo marked the leap from child to adult and was part of a rite of passage. Perhaps in the artist's video performance, the secret desire of a child to be a grown-up appears to be through, but already an adult.

Tattoos, spit, sound Children's voices

Video 12:02 min. MP4 HD 16:9 sound, colour

Camera and video editing: Branka Pavlovic Children's voices: Emma, Otto, Luwa, Nuri, Malek, Casimir, Fredor, Janko, Martin, Ruth Thanks: Villa Massimo Rome and the parents and children