Eisa Baddour is an artist exploring the powerful links between communities through installation and performance art, using the Mediterranean as both a canvas and a language of dialogue.
His acclaimed video that took part in Larnaca Biennale, Waste of Home, reflects on the journeys of those who leave home in search of hope—and the stories left behind on the shores. Each performance embodies elements from the shores he works on, including pieces of wood from Syria, symbolizing the home he can’t return to.
At Larnaca Biennale, Eisa was moved by the diverse interpretations of “home away from home.” He encourages future artists to experience Larnaca’s timeless charm and the Biennale’s unique space for unhurried creativity.
Who is artist Eisa Baddour? Share with us a few things about you and your work in general.
I’m investigating the relationships between communities and art, trying to link different people together using installation performances. I took the Mediterranean as a canvas not just to make art, but also to start dialogues in diverse languages. I’m in the investigation phase of my art career and I can’t wait to unravel all of the Mediterranean mysteries.
Your video ”Waste of Home” was one of the most viewed by LB visitors! Tell us a few words about it.?
Waste of Home is a chapter of a series of performances on the Mediterranean shores that tell the stories of those who leave their homes seeking a better future somewhere else. Especially those who couldn’t make it and ended up floating on the shores. As a try to give sense to the wasted materials, my team and I have been collecting wood from around the locations we perform at. Home is special to me because it includes pieces of wood that my mom sent to me from Syria, that location that I can’t go back to.
What was your overall impression of Larnaca and Larnaca Biennale?
What really moved me in this edition of LB is the theme itself. It was really interesting and inspiring for me to see how hundreds of artists interpret the same concept in their own unique way. Home away from home is something I’ve been seeking for almost a decade now, and I still feel that I’m at the beginning of my journey to find it. Although I was a participating artist many others, I felt like the host, at least for those whose work doesn’t relate to the Mediterranean. Larnaca gave me a little feeling of belonging during the biennale period and I’ll always have that memory of it.
A message you would like to send to artists that will apply in the future for participation in the Larnaca Biennale.
This island still has the charm of the old days before capitalism took over our emotions. This is important to know for some artists who find themselves lost in this fast-paced world. Larnaca Biennale gives a space for art to be seen without the rush to do something else, and this is something that’s been taken for granted nowadays.