Mona Hatoum, a contemporary Palestinian artist has tackled issues of exile, identity, and the home throughout her career. Hatoum was one of the main influences upon my own art practice during my studies, specifically in terms of video and performance art. Getting to see “Performance Still (Roadworks)” again, especially during these times was very therapeutic.

In my BFA thesis I wrote:
Author Richard Noble summed up the experience and emotions felt by the exiled in the opening sentence of Mona Hatoum: A Living Between,

“Exile is a complex cultural location. From the standpoint of identity it would seem a place of enduring negotiation between past and present: between the comforting memories of home and the austere necessity of reinventing oneself in a new and unfamiliar place, between the longing for return and the desire for recognition in a new society”.

The experience of double exile in Hatoum’s life is very present in the conceptual, symbolic and diverse range of art she creates. The compelling connection between her identity and artwork provides a glimpse into the struggle echoed through the exiled community.