Pre-Image (Blind as the MotherTongue)

Iraqi Kurdish artist Hiwa K’s film is a journey of self-discovery, or rather a rediscovery of himself. Equipped with a strange object, a pole with attached mirrors balanced on his nose, he re-traces the journey he took when he was forced to flee his country: from Turkey to Greece to Rome. The limited view of the ground provided by the device forces him to proceed slowly and uncertainly through deserted streets and cities, fields, bridges, and mountains. While his voice-over describes his migration, the mirrors allow him, despite precarious balance, to find the way: “To remember,” he says, “you need other archaeological tools.” The film was made for documenta 14, where it was shown at the Conservatory of Athens.