[+] HANCOCK & KELLY LIVE (UK)
Dermographia
In the 17th century, Soeur Jeanne of Loudun expels demons from her body through the appearance of iconic texts across her skin.
In 1986, Jean Genet completes Prisoner of Love, his eloquent retelling of his time between borders, between the diaspora of the Palestinians and the revolution of the Black Panthers.
At the same time, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari propose their theory of ‘becoming-animal’, an implosion of binary systems of understanding which threaten our place in this world.
Now, from these starting points, Richard Hancock draws together a new picture, a collapsing moment, written through the skin of a static performer, a silent observer, and a solemn witness.
Dermographia is the first move in a game of ‘performance chess’ between Hancock and Kelly; an ongoing series of solo performances which respond to the concerns of the previous piece.
‘Hancock and Kelly are among the most exciting new artists that it has been my privilege to encounter in the last decade.’ Robert Ayers
‘Beautiful and painful. Beyond endurance.’ Sonia Boyce on Dermographia
hancock & kelly live is the collaborative project of artists Richard Hancock and Traci Kelly. Since 2001, they have presented works of live art to capacity audiences across the UK, Europe, and Mexico.
hancock & kelly live is currently supported by Arts Council England, and the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
photo by Stuart Simpson