» Hurt in here

“Hurt in here is remembered for its sociality. To say ‘hurt in here’ is to point to where the pain still aches today. The plexiglass box is just big enough to store the dried pork skin, or the remains of the performance Hurt in here (Nhà Sàn Studio, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2011), which alludes to the survival of two soldiers: the artist next to her pork-skin armor. The work came about as I was being criticized by many people. It was the patience in ironing flat each piece of skin in search for reconciliation and sympathy that, in fact, helped lay bare the judgment, imposition and suppression borne from prejudice.

“At the same time, the act of ironing pushed the human and the pig (represented by its skin) to extreme exhaustion and manipulation. ‘The iron burned the skin on the artist’s arm turning the surface into blisters, which looked exactly like the popped pork skin when being fried. Dipping the skin into the water was a way to soothe the pain that they both were suffering from. Carrying out these scenes like a sacred ritual, the artist was determined to peel the burned skin off, and then wrap them in the pork skin. Flat ironing is the last step in the ritual to restore the balance of everything, to calm the heightening stress at the time and probably even until later.’

“For this exhibition, pieces of pork skin are placed inside a plexiglass box, one on top of another to create a thickly-layered stack. Upon closer inspection of those slices made of protein, keratin, elastin and collagen, we are reminded that they are living entities. This artwork is meant to honor a life full of meaning, a life that deserves respect for it dares to sacrifice, a life that is freed from the bleakness of rationality, judgment and imposition.” – Lai Dieu Ha