Duration: 50 min
Premiere – Saturday 14 March 2026 at Rich Mix – London
Part of Certain Blacks’ Black Athena Festival 2026
Van Huynh manages something quite rare here: turning very real, visceral anger into a thing of beauty. It’s a political, sweaty mess, and utterly human.’ Fjord Review on Exquisite Noise
“Elaine Mitchener is a singer who redefines what singing means.” The Guardian
Concept: Dam Van Huynh
Choreography: Dam Van Huynh in collaboration with Elaine Mitchener
Performance and Vocal improvisations: Elaine Mitchener
Music and Sound: Michael Picknett
Production Management: Michael Picknett
Photography: Robert Piwko
A ‘performative graffiti’ that transforms the space into a living canvas of collective energy, Graffiti Bodies XV overlays movement, sound art, poetry, sculpture and visual imagery. Responding to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1981 painting La Hara addressing police brutality against marginalised urban communities, the performance reflects on the theme of marginalisation through a sensory overload of movement and a cacophony of sound and visual noise. Graffiti Bodies XV urges us to resist the cyclical nature of history and sparks a discussion on who controls the narratives, reminding us that creativity thrives on the streets and amidst community settings.
A new Certain Blacks commission with further support from Centre 151