I’m Eating Somebody’s Else’s Bread

In many countries immigrants are referred to as those who are “eating our bread” — bread being the very symbol of existence, survival even; they are taking our jobs away, marrying our boys/girls, unjustly taking our place. The main thesis is that there is not enough bread, jobs, girls/boys, places, etc. — the immigrant is taking away from US something that we are already lacking. This kind of xenophobia is widespread, especially in right wing governments, as a justification of hatred. The performance consisted of doing literally what the expression says: eating someone else’s bread. Bread made in France — French bread — but also on another level, as a reference to a work of another artist. I remade bread similar to the one Santiago Sierra used in his action 90 cm Bread Cube. I ate it in public during the opening of the exhibition at the Grand Palais, Paris. The audience was not allowed to take my bread away from me. To my surprise, I was attacked by visitors, quite aggressively. I defended my bread with all my might, without ever looking at the audience.