Can I Rest in Peace?

Durational Performance, Variable Duration; Installation; Soil; Costume Elements; Photographic Projection
2022

The work was developed in collaboration with Bosnian bio-designer Maja Halilović, who created a replica of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress using SCOBY-based material, a form of bacterial cellulose grown through fermentation. Originally worn by Monroe at President John F. Kennedy’s birthday celebration and later brought back into the spotlight through Kim Kardashian’s appearance at the 2022 Met Gala, the dress has become a recognisable image in contemporary culture. The use of a living biomaterial places a garment that has come to embody an ideal of beauty alongside a material bound to decay, bringing the physical reality of the body into contact with the image it is expected to maintain. The performance reflects on the difficulty of accepting the body as matter beyond representation, as the expectation to maintain its appearance continues even in death.