The clean up woman
Stedelijk museum Amsterdam
Inspired by the a performance of Mierle Laderman Ukeles, in which she cleaned the MOMA in New York, I dressed up as a cleaning woman and started cleaning the Stedelijk museum. Mierle’s work was about making a feminist statement. My performance is showing the relation between power dynamics and invisibility within white institutions.
The occasional black spots in this museum represented by security, catering personal, cleaners reminded me of a passage in Ralph Ellison’s book Invisible man. The protagonist works in a paint factory where the white paint for the white house is manufactured. His job is to mix the paint with one drop of black paint in order to make it look more radiant white.
The black spots in this museum emphasize the power of whiteness.
The performance was part the exhibition “ Bell Invites” in collaboration with Emory Douglas and the HIPHopHuis, the University of Color which took place in Stedelijk Bureau Amsterdam and at the Global Performance’ forum at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, both curated by Vivian Ziherl.