Occupying a Chair

What does it mean to be part of an empire? The United States is the largest monetary and military supporter of Israel’s crimes, so where does that leave those of us whose tax dollars are used for murder and theft? “Occupying a Chair” puts me in a scene resembling an interrogation. There is audio of homes being demolished, weeping, an argument—but the source of these sounds, for a duration of the video, remains hidden—like many truths. And like many truths, it is both an internal and external struggle to reveal them. But with solidarity, no evil can hide.

Artist Bio: E Rady is a Syrian-American multidisciplinary performance, video, and installation artist living in New York City. Rady’s work traverses the overlap of Queer identity, ethnicity, and nationalism within the confines of an imperial United States. For them, it is impossible to discuss the identity of Arabs living in America without addressing the violence the U.S. state carries out overseas. Rady believes in art’s ability to shape the world’s landscape, by beautifying it and highlighting its ugliness. They attended the University of Florida and will be attending Hunter College as an MFA Visual Arts candidate.

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