The River Asked for a Kiss

Paul Maheke considers the potential of the body as an archive in order to examine how memory and identity is formed and constituted. He was an Associate of Open School East’s Programme of Study in London, UK (2015), with a focus on dance and a varied and often collaborative body of work comprising performance, installation, sound and video. Paul has exhibited in solo and group shows which include Manifesta 12, the Baltic Triennial XIII and the 57th Venice Biennale.

The River Asked for a Kiss features four digitally printed curtains, and is part of a series of works addressing the way in which water connects people to each other and the world around us. Maheke is interested in water as the main constituent of human bodies and as a life source for organisms. He uses references to water, such as its fluidity and formlessness, as a means of exploring issues around migration and displacement.