Malinda Ato
Ato comes from a background of painting but has recently started working more performatively. Prison sex, a kind of performative video work is a compelling and physically uncomfortable work which deals overtly with the issue of female genital mutilation (an issue which Ato campaigns actively against). For this workshop she is working on a performance in public space.
For an article on FGM that Ato wrote click here
Working in Public Space – Ato Malinda
If public exhibitions are not to be thought of as public space then this is the first time that I have worked in overtly public space. The experience is ever changing and I, in turn, have become a hyper absorbtive agent. The mental and physical parameter of painting has always been one of a solitary and meditative act, but producing aesthetics in a highly vocal community such as Barsheba is a unique experience. My kiswahili has iproved immensely but the heightened awareness of coastal intonations is what amuses me most.
Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions…emotional! i was privy to hostility from the resident junkie who threatened to kill me and warned me to stop painting ‘his’ wall. Luckily a member from Ukoo Flani was around and kind enough to scare him off. On a positive note, the progression of my work, albeit not what I had quite envisioned, is going well.
urbanwasanii
June 26, 2008 at 12:47 pm
[...] coming from a background of painting, but moving into performance, read Ato Malinda’s comment here. Below is a brief [...]
Working in Public Space - Ato Malinda « urbanwasanii
June 26, 2008 at 12:49 pm