i'm free
as
a bird
In "I'm free as a bird," Omid, as an artist, challenged his identity as an 'art student' by assuming the role of a 'KFC worker.' This performance questioned concepts of privilege, inclusion, and the possibility of creating art within a capitalist framework. He documented his work at KFC with a Go-Pro camera, capturing repetitive actions in the confined spaces of fast-food restaurants. The performance culminated in his escape from the art academy, filming himself as he ran through the streets of The Hague. Then he used screenshots from this footage to create a series of unconventional images through screen-printing, defying traditional art-making methods and aesthetics.
This installation is a continuation of the performance "I'm free as a bird," held in the same building and behind the same windows and walls. After six months, Omid revisited the footage from that performance, with the intention of sharing it with the public. At the time, his studio was conveniently located next to the street-facing windows, effectively transforming the academy's facade into his canvas. These screen prints, characterized by their distorted and randomly colored designs, introduced an additional layer to the previous performance, which focused on his role and relationship with the institution.
Subsequently, from the screenshots of that footage, he curated a series of images by overlaying them. These results represent a collection of arbitrarily created visuals, embodying a performance that symbolized an escape from an art institution exhibited as an installation on the facade of the same place.