Perlude
Mysterious Barricades #2
GAT – Tirana Art Gallery, Tirana, Albania
part of the exhibition THE END OF SAD WORDS with Monika Deimling
Curator Edit Pula
Duration: 23 minutes
Photographs by Monika Deimling


Context:
The second performance in the cycle Mysterious Barricades was presented as part of the exhibition THE END OF SAD WORDS by Monika Deimling and BBB Johannes Deimling at GAT – Tirana Art Gallery in Tirana, Albania. Curated by Edit Pula, the exhibition featured various works, including photography, installations, embroidery, and video art.
A dedicated section of the exhibition space was set aside for the performance, with only the essential materials arranged in advance. After the performance, the remnants of the action became an integral part of the exhibition, seamlessly completing the spatial composition.














Description of actions:
A collage of performance images and sounds is created by executing the following actions with selected material.
- Entering the exhibition space with a blue alarm clock attached to a guiding cross, the left hand covered in white paint. [The alarm clock rings continuously.]
- Painting the face, neck, and throat white by slowly moving the hand back and forth over the head.
- Turning off the alarm clock.
- Pouring water into all four trouser pockets. [The water activates red pigment inside the pockets, creating red stains that run down the trousers.]
- Kneeling in front of the large frame and tossing the red petals inside it up against the wall until the frame is empty. [The falling petals produce a soft, rustling sound.]
- Taking two bundles of dried wheat and gently shaking them while moving backwards to the wall, placing my head inside the green chair hanging there. [A faint rattling sound of the wheat can be heard.]
- Lifting the chair with my shoulders and intensifying the shaking of the wheat bundles. [The wheat begins to break, scattering pieces on the ground.]
- Hanging the empty frame on the wall where the chair was previously located.
- Bending the green chair until it breaks into pieces. [The chair resists breaking, deforming into various shapes before partially breaking.]
- Sticking forks into two carrots and placing them within the performance landscape. [The forks form legs, allowing the carrots to stand upright.]
- Painting several yellow dots onto my shirt.
- Binding the broken chair together with white bandages.
- Drawing black lines on my shirt with charcoal. [The combination of yellow dots and black lines resembles a bundle of wheat.]
- Binding a loaf of bread onto my face and gently extracting a small silver bell from inside it with my fingers. [The bell emits a soft chime.]
- Ringing the bell while hanging the green chair inside the frame.