Ecdysis is a scientific term describing the process by which reptiles shed their skin to allow for new growth. Cherine Fahd’s video installation brings together forty-four large-scale video portraits of women of different ages and walks of life, engaged in an act of struggle and surrender with the artist. Luminously projected in a darkened space, the shedding of skin suggested by these portraits raises tensions between control and release, bringing us to the precipice of transformation. Each subject’s performance tells a different story spanning resistance and acceptance, tenderness and strength, authority and vulnerability. 

Co-Commissioned by Carriageworks and Performance Space for Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art 2021.  Curated by Daniel Mudie Cunningham and Jeff Khan and funded by Create NSW.