Discrimination
Talk about blowing off steam: this is my middle-finger-project dedicated to Trier, the town where I first landed in Germany as an immigrant.
It is a powerful experience realizing that being accepted by a society means undertaking a fierce fight for very basic respect: I’ve never encountered an environment more ready to dismiss me. So when I finally decided I was done over-correcting stereotypes by submitting myself to deplorable life conditions and being surrounded by people who actively chose referring to me as “die Spanierin/die Putzi” over learning my name I went away without looking back.
But I have remained an immigrant since, and have accordingly invested many hours trying to understand the nature of discrimination.
I won’t use this platform to dwell on declarative statements nor conclusions to which I might not stick.
But it feels crucial to me to shine a light on the realities of newcomers in foreign countries (next to many of which my own seem like a picnic) and to advice transforming the rage of being discriminated upon into whichever creative endeavour.
I don’t think there is a more gracious way to show one’s fangs.
This series was presented at the Anti-Discrimination day at the KHB together with a duo performative action in 2015.
Silkprints
2015
© 2020 Cora Marin | Berlin | contact@coramarin.com
Discrimination
Talk about blowing off steam: this is my middle-finger-project dedicated to Trier, the town where I first landed in Germany as an immigrant.
It is a powerful experience realizing that being accepted by a society means undertaking a fierce fight for very basic respect: I’ve never encountered an environment more ready to dismiss me. So when I finally decided I was done over-correcting stereotypes by submitting myself to deplorable life conditions and being surrounded by people who actively chose referring to me as “die Spanierin/die Putzi” over learning my name I went away without looking back.
But I have remained an immigrant since, and have accordingly invested many hours trying to understand the nature of discrimination.
I won’t use this platform to dwell on declarative statements nor conclusions to which I might not stick. But it feels crucial to me to shine a light on the realities of newcomers in foreign countries (next to many of which my own seem like a picnic) and to advice transforming the rage of being discriminated upon into whichever creative endeavour. I don’t think there is a more gracious way to show one’s fangs.
This series was presented at the Anti-Discrimination day at the KHB together with a duo performative action in 2015.
Silkprints
2015
© 2020 Cora Marin | Berlin | contact@coramarin.com
