Nasim Salehi

Embodiment

I decided to represent my daily struggles with MS through art. I started with painting, then moved to installation art, and finally found my way to making video art. I felt that it would be more effective to make a video to present the different layers and complexity of my mind as a person who lives with a silent illness.

“Although pain is a ubiquitous feature among human beings, individual pain is unique and extremely difficult to describe to others. I decided to show the invisible pain that runs – indescribable yet ever-present – under the skin of those living with Multiple sclerosis (MS). Although this suffering is not fatal, it never disappears and is repeated every week during an injection. The injection becomes a ritual; it requires mental and physical preparation since self-injection never turns into an easy task, even as a weekly practice. The close-up shots of an injection let the viewer into the actual experience and provide a clear image of pain/struggle between the soft, vulnerable skin and the cold solid, sharp needle. This video art is a visual narrative of ongoing torment which has lain hidden under my skin for a long time. I am aware of the anguish my body goes through and can feel the puncture that every single injection leaves on my skin, with a clear image of drugs spreading through my vessels. I am here to take care of this body, letting it feel my touch, caressing my fingertips on every wound to assure my body while it is struggling with the pain. I am here to shower it with devotion and reverence. This work is the narrative embodiment of my weekly ritual, a profound personal ritual that is impossible to narrate through words.”