Samah Hijawi

“The Sexual Physiology of Hermaphrodites” (2011)

This multimedia performance is an attempt to explore notions of national identity and belonging among Jordanians of Palestinian origins as a focal point, through an analogy of the complicated psychological and sexual behavior of Hermaphrodites, using only simple props and audiovisual material. The performance pivots around the dichotomy of the Hermaphrodite’s biological mutation and personality, while subliminally referring to the polarities that can mirror indirectly the duality of the Jordanian-Palestinian identity, and the Jordanian national politics which unintentionally add layers of complications to this fundamental existential dualism.

Cross-disciplinary visual artist experimenting through video, performance and interventions, Samah Hijawi’s recent pieces (“Narratives for Arts History of Jordan”, “Where are the Arabs”, “The Gas Car Project…”) focus on investigating public spaces and interacting with the audience. Hijawi received a BA from the Lebanese American University, Lebanon (1999) and an MA from Central Saint Martin School of Art and Design, London (2005). Hijawi’s work has been exhibited in Jordan, Scotland, France, The Netherlands, Dubai, Greece and the United Kingdom.

Hijawi is also a cultural activist collaborating with several local independent visual arts projects. With Makan Art Space, Amman, she has organized a series of workshops targeting youths, while continuing research on the development of the arts in Jordan and the influence of regional migration on local creation, as a result of war and occupation in Palestine and Iraq. Her writing and lectures have been published in both local and international publications.

“The Sexual Physiology of Hermaphrodites” is Hijawi’s second participation in Meeting Points. In 2007, she presented the public intervention Disorientation in Meeting Points 5. She was a co-curator of Unclassified – Amman.