Noor Afshan Mirza and Brad Butler: The Scar

Autumn 2018 marks the beginning of Delfina Foundation‘s integrated thematic programme The Public Domain. This edition is subtitled Gender, Power, and Place, according with the topics to explore through the season’s exhibition, events and residencies. The exhibition The Scar is part of the cultural initiative.

The Scar is a fiction film installation by London and Istanbul based artists Noor Afshan Mirza and Brad Butler, developed in three chapters (“The State of the State”, “The Mouth of the Shark” and “The Gossip”), in which the two artists re-elaborate true events through the lens of Magical Realism. The four characters of the film function as likewise archetypes to face themes such as female emancipation and empowerment or the relation of audiences with state power. The two artists’ practice, as seen in “The Scar”, often reflects on narratives about  topics like inequality and corruption, ultimately proposing a post-patriarchal near future.

“The Scar” was begun during Mirza and Butler’s residency at Delfina Foundation in 2015, and is displayed as an immersive five-screen installation at Delfina Foundation, complemented by a programme of workshops, talks and performances, co-curated the two artists.