Vesal Bahmani Nik MFA

Master-Thesis: "Pain as Metaphor, Metaphors of Pain"

Supervision: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Eva-Maria Kollischan, Prof. Theo Smeets

"In my work I am researching the reasons of pain infliction on the human body and its impacts on the physical and psychological properties of a body. Besides, I research the theories, which support the contemporary definition of pain, by the historical backdrop of the perspectives on pain in different social structures.


I understand pain as a concept, which is internal and external at the same time.
It is my desire to communicate pain. The desire came from my personal life, experiencing pain as a social and cultural repression.
Communicating pain is a way to empower ourselves and protest against the destiny, which has been prepared by powers in social, cultural, religious and political forms.
The pictures of the modified body from the romanticism until today have been the metaphoric way of showing humans, who suffer emotionally and physically.


Until today artists perform the body mutilation directly on their bodies to express repressions. For me it is the most impressive way to express emotions in a materialized form to reflect the concept of suffering.
It is possible to materialize pain by the strong language of art, helping sufferers to reflect their pain. By seeing their pain reflected in an artwork, they can find a way to communicate and develop their healing process."

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