»Forced Absence« is an audiovisual composition on various forms of involuntary human separation from families, loved ones and countries. Whether it's because of tyranny on domestic or global scales, or the isolation and loss that has spread hand in hand with the virus, the theme of isolation has been felt deeply in the artists' lives. The subjective experience thereof is what's expressed here: isolation as aggression, as sadness, as resignation and as insanity, merged with beauty and hope as the longing for that which we wish to embrace, however obscured, remains the engine that moves us forward.
Through their symbolic and visceral work, Sote and Tarik Barri portray these feelings from their own perspectives as well as how they've witnessed their manifestation in fellow humans, victims, oppressors, loved ones and lost ones alike.
Composition: Sote
Video: Tarik Barri
Supported by Goethe-Institut