Hollywood Leather, London, 11th - 13th December 1997
Goldsmiths College, London, 26th March 1998
Acting Yourself, Byam Shaw School of Art, London, 26th November 1998
Based on a real-life operation to remove a potentially lethal area of fibrous dysplasia from the skull, this performance critiques the way in which some artists exploit the physical limits of their body. Hole in my Head also offers a riposte to cultural critics who pathologize the work of performance artists as self-obsessed and narcissistic by exploring the political purpose of autobiographical narratives.
Haemangioma in Joshua Sofaer’s head. Mid-operation photo courtesy National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.
By conflating medical fact with physical trauma, Hole in my Head finds humour in the stuff of nightmares.
Hole in my Head was commissioned by Christopher Hewitt for Hollywood Leather.