Shatha Afify (EG, 1987)
Residency period: October-November 2024
During my EDHEA residency at La Becque, I began a video piece exploring silence and silencing within “modern” suppressive systems—systems that promise comfort yet stifle uniqueness, dissent, and silence opposition.
Filmed at La Becque, the video focuses on smashing a Mobil oil barrel by Lake Geneva. This symbolic act, performed in sessions, critiques the cost of comfort and conveys an angry yet contemplative message. In the video, street signs fall from the sky.
During the Open Studios, I also presented ongoing works, including ‘There is no POST in colonization’ and my upcoming book and sound project, ‘The Silenced Score’, exploring silenced narratives, and the interplay of sound, silence, and power. — Shatha Afify
Shatha Afify is an Egyptian interdisciplinary artist, storyteller, poet, and thinker whose practice weaves together sound, performance, sculpture, and multimedia to explore the terrains of conflict, loss, and resistance. Rooted in her experience of the Egyptian revolution and her exploration of ethical dilemmas, Afify’s sound works emerge as a form of sonic resistance—an acoustic confrontation against the forces of oppression. She positions herself as a disruptor of power structures, using her art to expose, confront, and dismantle systems of control. She views silence as a profound space for resilience, reflection, and the nurturing of hope. Her work listens to and amplifies voices often drowned out by the noise of authority and oppression, employing a poetic approach across various mediums.
Shatha Afify, La Becque, 2024, photo Matthieu Croizier and Shatha Afify