Afghan Hound

A girl raised as a boy. A
boy trained to act as a girl. A writer and activist in exile. An authoritative
male. These are the four characters through whom Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen
addresses the complexities of gender in cultures where men and women are
segregated — and masculinity rules.

Afghan Hound performance
includes four impersonations of voices from Afghanistan. The four stories that
unfold are recounted through music and song. The choreography is contingent
upon a costume made out of hair, metaphorically symbolizing different
sexualities that are hidden in the particular context of contemporary Afghan
culture.

Cuenca purposely inhabits the role of an
impersonator. The artist has stated: “My position as an artist and impersonator
is to be a mouthpiece for repressed voices that I urgently need to unveil. The
Western discourse on the Arabic World is often reduced to our positioning of
them. I have tried to communicate stories seen from their tradition and
culture, because in my opinion is important to try to understand, before we
interfere or judge.” (After Christian Larsen, Stockholm, 2012)

Organisation:
City of Women; In collaboration with: Škuc Gallery.

Supported by: A Space for Live Art, Danish Arts Council Committee for Visual
Arts.