terrorist treatment
In this performance Yelena entered an exhibition opening with a suitcase, then proceeded to change clothes and body paint herself red. This action was part of a series of performances inspired by suicide bombers. Yelena played with the unexpected factor, as she was not perceived as a terrorist, but this was the relation she implied with her actions. She wanted to make the public aware of their mortality. If Yelena was a real terrorist carrying a bomb, the public may have end up dead as the result of this exhibition. Yelena wanted to detract attention from the stigma of terrorism belonging to the Middle East and underline that it can happen anywhere, to anybody. We should be aware of our mortality and vulnerability to be more mindful of life. Yelena continued the performance by placing designer fashion as obstacles on the floor in an attempt to irritate the public. The clothes on the floor combined with price tags written on cardboards mocked the inaccessibility of the fashion system.
