Space: 1456 E. 53rd St.
Artist: Brikena Boci
Website: brikenaboci.com
Title: Une as the Girl, Vazja as Me; Red Body Suit; Elephant Ears
Medium: Found Materials and Fabric
Statement: Growing up and experiencing war at a young age in Albania and Kosovo, my work has become the voice that bears witness to innocent victims in these territories; my work has been influenced by issues of oppression, fear, victimization, chaos and abuse.
In my childhood I constructed puppet dolls out of old clothes and, as an artist, I have approached the same strategy in the use of found materials and fabrics. I choose fibers that reference human skin, and fiberfill that resemble flesh and body fat to create a visceral experience of the human body.
My work talks about the physical, emotional and psychological injuries that are caused by the process of war. By addressing personal experience of war in my homeland of Albania, I want to reach a broad audience concerning the devastating impact of war. Additionally, my work bears witness to the victimized people of war in the hope that their experiences and their pain will be revealed to the larger global community—and that such traumatic events will never happen again.
