We all Shapeshift

Another being, another body, another form A part of my leaking body fully ripened I remember opening my senses, Wondering about how the coldness stiffens me returning me to palpable traces slowly releasing distant memories. Of being an adornment bouquet for winter graves, merging with the funeral compost after the season change. These surroundings envelope me, I feel it is part of me A part of my leaking body fully ripened Ripened, torn, exposed much like the caterpillar's cocoon soup, i scatter myself now I feel the warmth of closeness The air carries a ghostly essence, echoing a subtle crumble of sweat, a sensation, a feeling, a desire for proximity I scatter myself, forgetting the natural shredding that time brings, I scatter myself, a body constantly evolving into another form. We all shapeshift, sponging one another, sponging one to the other, sponging one in our existence. My pores feel heavy and watery, Don’t you wish for a brief moment to melt into another life? coursing through river veins an essence of being held and becoming one in this liminal existence. coursing through river veins Water, relentless and restless, coursing through river veins refuses to absorb more than one insight at a time. It slowly releases distant memories, a soul washed not with water but with a longing for connection. In the slippery sense of self How can we expect to find intimacy within ourselves if we keep shapeshifting all the time In the slippery sense of self constantly shapeshifting into another being, another body, another form another being, another body, another form What does water carry for me? Desires oscillating between absorption and realize, What does water carry for me? softening in response (What does water carry for me?) Desires oscillating between absorption and realise, What does water carry for me? softening in response (What does water carry for me?) Which parts of me will be washed away and which will endure? Valentino Skarwan is an artist based in Vienna with a transdisciplinary practice spanning Performance and Installation. They studied fine arts and transmedia art at the University of Applied Arts and have performed own and collaborative performances at various institutions, including Belvedere 21, MUMOK, Tanzquartier, Brut and festivals such as Wienerfestwochen, Impulstanz and Spitfestival. Skarwan's work delves into the intricate relationships, whether rooted in culture, gender, or the non-human realm, and how these connections can mold our perspectives. Their creative endeavors venture into alternative dimensions of human and nonhuman connection, offering possibilities for reimagining a sense of togetherness that embraces both the familiar and the unfamiliar. Drawing on personal experiences growing up in Guatemala, they interweave cultural codes, memories, and sensations to create a intimate corporeal language.