Hande Sever: ‘Molded by a Clenched Fist’ Performance

Hauser & Wirth Somerset is delighted to host a special performance by Hande Sever, our current resident artist taking part in the Hauser & Wirth Exchange Residency for Post-MFA Students. In her performance ‘Molded by a Clenched Fist’, Los Angeles-based artist Sever will look at how national identity is shaped, contested and gendered through spectacle and spectatorship. Reflecting on the treatment of dissent in her home country, Sever will offer a performance about the impact of trauma across generations to further investigate how one builds and dismantles a sense of national identity. Raised in Istanbul, Sever recently received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA. Artistic research constitutes the core of Sever’s practice and her works explore wide-ranging themes, including issues of exile, post-colonial identity, freedom, and cultural difference which unfold in different mediums, ranging from sculpture to performance, photography to sound. The Hauser & Wirth Exchange Residency is for Post-MFA Students from The California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) and Bath School of Art and Design, Bath Spa University. The two educational institutions are local to Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles and Hauser & Wirth Somerset respectively. The initiative is designed to support emerging artists affiliated with these universities by offering them locations to live and work for an intensive short-term period, and encourages independent work while providing support through contact with academics, curators and artists. The durational performance will take place in the Piggery from 3 – 5 pm. This is a free event, no booking necessary   Header image: Hande Sever, In performance 'And the Iron Curtain Fell on His Library_',_ 2017.