– Sitting in the bus, a nice elegant white lady came in, she looked deep in my eyes for a couple of seconds, and down to my shoes. I tried to smile at her and she didn’t smile back. I saw her a couple of times later and she did exactly the same, looking deep in my eyes and down to my shoes. The last time I saw her she kept her gaze a bit longer and as always looked down to my shoes. And as always I smiled back at her and she never smiled back. I kept thinking about her during the night and the day after when I woke up. How her gaze left me confused and sad. I felt that her gaze broke my soul. It was dark, and felt so long despite the couple of seconds, and had anger deep in it.
I kept thinking why she did that.....maybe she didn’t mean it. I kept thinking how to react next time when I meet her, I will give her the same gaze, no no I will ignore her, no no I will keep smiling back. I kept thinking how we can live together, if we can easily hurt, judge, don’t accept each other. I thought of kindness, compassion and patience. I thought about anger and revenge. I thought of tiredness and sleep, I thought of the sun and the summer and how the sun heals me and makes me feel safe.
Verket «please be kind...لطيفا كن» er laget av kunstner Asmaa Barakat (f.1990 i Egypt). Barakat har en mastergrad både fra Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo og fra ArtEZ University of the Arts i Nederland. Verket er montert i trappen på Kunstnernes Hus og kan oppleves frem til 13. oktober.
📷: @olavatn / Ola Vatn / NBK
📷 Verk: Vegard Kleven