OMOFUMA

HIS NOSTRILS WERE CLEAR

Marcus Omofuma was an asylum seeker from Nigeria who was killed by three police officers during a plane deportation from Austria to Sofia on May 1, 1999.

"His nostrils were free" is a performance by Hüseyin Isik that refers to the occasion of this death by recreating the police's actions using other means and thus making it clearer in a simpler way. A burning candle stands under a glass cover with several holes in it. The holes are gradually sealed with adhesive tape until the candle receives little oxygen and goes out.

The performance was shown twice, once on the first anniversary of Omofuma's death, on May 1, 2000 in the Siebenstern cultural center, and the second time a year later, in May 2001 in the Interkulttheater. Mehmet Cumhur Adatepe supplemented the scene with slides of nostrils projected onto the wall and with the recording of breathing sounds. Gabriela Szabo and Hüseyin Isik sealed the holes.