Exhibit A

I’ve always had aches and pains in my body. My knees, my ankles, my back. It’s a family thing. It’s crazy, right? Like, my white friends inherit sums of money, I inherit my grandmother’s heavy legs and compression stockings.

In Exhibit A, Sihame Haddioui seeks to blend her family history with the Grand Narrative of History – from the intimate to the political. By putting the spotlight on marginalised bodies, the artist brings into question the mechanisms of oppression exerted on her body and those of her family members by the forces of capitalism, colonialism and the patriarchy.

With its evidential exhibits, Exhibit A takes the form of an upbeat trial not dissimilar to the cultural, systemic and structural diktats that weigh on our marginalised identities. A show that is powerful, tender and direct; part stand-up, part family documentary.