Dont Ain Me

The linen series are products of spontaneous and intuitive work-flows, only influenced by daily experience and impressions. They do not allow me to overthink the process or the composition. That is also why it allows for enough room for interpretation. As part of the collective approach it is this series in particular that is exposed to and shaped by external perspectives. Observers kept seeing eyes looking at them through the painting on the right. It made me realize how our societies lack trust as one of three pillars of social cohesion.

Social trust is the "ability to trust people outside one's familiar or kinship circles". It is also sometimes referred to as bridging trust that acts as the bond that people share across a society and across economic and ethnic groups, religions, and races.

Taking the Moroccan society as an example I perceive the widespread mistrust as a legacy of a ruling form based on division and angst. It's often manifested in the fear of Ain, the evil eye. But the lack of trust is also the reality of many other societies such as in eastern Germany for example where far right parties capitalize on the mistrust to spread xenophobic propaganda. Building trust is thus crucial for the resilience of a society.