Fresh Sinezani
Entekhabi’s work “Fresh Sinezani” abstracts traditional Muslim castigation by beating himself on his chest which is tattooed of The Great Seal of the United States of America. This stands for the voluntary yearly religious penalization with the basic idea of deprivation and confinement of the Muslim society. Men of all ages, dressed in black traditional cloths, hit and cut themselves until they bleed heavily.
You also can find this proof of belief in many other religions.
In the performance the artist, dressed in a black suit, first crashes a bottle of wine, then begins to beat himself. Followed by rhythmic Islamic chants, he gets driven into a state of trance until he becomes annoyed and tired. Then he stops.

© Shahram Entekhabi 2007

Fresh Sinezan, HD video, color sound, 9:10. 2007