Selina Thompson
LIVE ART
Selina Thompson
For live performance artist
Selina Thompson, who lives with
bipolar disorder and anxiety,
mental health was never a
theme she purposely chose to
explore in her work. “I make
autobiographical work, and
mental health comes up because
it is part and parcel of my life,”
she tells us.
Live art is perhaps one of
the most immersive forms –
requiring full, unrestrained
commitment and participation
from the audience, whether
actively or passively. Selina’s live
performances explore a variety of
topics, each touching on identity
politics. Her project ‘Pat It and
Prick It and Mark It with ‘B’’ saw
her make a dress out of cake,
and was inspired by a comment
her mother once told her – that
eating, for her, was like a prison.
With a long tradition of
being a deeply challenging,
personal medium, Selina uses
her performances to shine a
light on topics that are rarely
discussed. As she sees it, live art
“means that people traditionally
marginalised (which historically
includes those with mental
health needs) are able to tell
their own stories in their own
ways, which is so important”.
“My favourite thing about
live art is the space it leaves for
ambiguity, for not knowing,
for posing questions and
refusing to answer. This kind of
ambivalence has always been
a key part of my experiences of mental
health – so there is something at work
there too.”selinathompson.co.ukSelina’s performances
explore identity politics
Mental health
comes up
because it is
part and parcel
of my life
Photography | Performance art : Ana Jackson, headshot: Rosie Powell