Palestinian Basma Alsharif works with film and installation. She developed her work nomadically between the Middle East, Europe, and North America and currently lives in Berlin. Her work examines cyclical political conflicts and counters colonialism’s legacy through satire. 

Deep Sleep is an immersive performance film in which the artist films under self-hypnosis in Athens and Malta. “I was unable to travel to Gaza because of the border conflict, so I began practicing autohypnosis to establish myself in multiple places at once. Combined with field recordings turned into a binaural beat soundtrack, Deep Sleep consists of a year of bi-locational sessions shot on Super 8mm film,” she says. 

The film draws on historical avant-garde cinema to cross geographical boundaries and trade memory for a visceral present.