ELLEN TABEA FLIEG GRACIA (DE) "“Motherknots, Daughterknots”
ellen tabea flieg gracia
“Motherknots, Daughterknots”
video
2024
The work explores hair combing as a ritual within the female lineage. The usual division of roles is reversed: a daughter combs a mother’s hair, the mother combs the hair of an imaginary individual. Subtitles tell a personal story of hair combing as a torturous act in which appearance and beauty standards are more important than care, nurturing, and the protection of cultural identity. This reversed performative research triggers questions and feeds imagination. Knowledge handed down from generation to generation has brought about changes in the present that echo the past. This alters our perception of the meaning of hair combing.