www.amirbaradaran.com - The Other Artist Is Present- Baradaran returns to the table his face now concealed by a series of four overlapping canvases. Each is emblazoned with an enigmatic message. The first canvas, In/out, sets the tone as it refers to borders. The second message, I am a nurse from New Zealand appears to break Abramovics concentration for a moment, moved as she recognizes the reference to a persona she dons when traveling. Baradaran, unaware of the effect he has had on Abramovic, reveals the next canvas: a non resident alien a status familiar to both artists. The final layer, passing of the author, references Roland Barthes essay, The Death of the Author, which advocates the separation of the artist from his/her artistic creation. Baradarans infiltration makes the audience question: who is the performer? Who is in / out?
For, in that moment, it is no longer simply her piece alone but has been subverted into a product of the artists shared passions. Baradaran pauses and then lays the canvases onto the table; he removes his wallet and an inkpad from his pocket, and ritualistically stamps the canvases with his fingerprints.
In the overwhelming light of a sterile performance space, security guards seem ready to spring into action as Baradaran removes his hands from his pockets. The artist evokes the traumatic discomfort felt by a person detained at a security checkpoint.