AM I ACTING AS IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG?

Elise Harmsen

In response to The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)

Taking from the title The Headless Women (a disembodiment), Harmsen has cut scenes in the film where the central character Vero’s head features dominantly (an embodiment) and re-performs, in sync, the actress Maria Onetto’s expressions. A study of Vero’s head as an expression of guilt (and the relentless denial of it), the work draws attention to the gestural qualities of guilt, shame and repressed trauma.

Elise Harmsen

Elise Harmsen (b. 1987, Perth, WA) works with projection, performance and video to study the nuances of the digitally projected image and its relationship to memory, time and space. Elise worked collaboratively with Jürgen Kerkovius as Elise/Jürgen from 2006-12, and was involved with Sydney based ARI 55 Sydenham Rd from 2014 – 18.

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