Tongue

Photo credits: William Bahos
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William Bahos

2016
oil on canvas
20 x 20 cm

Bound with a bloodied rope, preventing any movement, a tongue cut and separated from the body composes this image. Silence, when it is a natural expression of human freedom, is a valuable space that allows one to make oneself present without resorting to words; however, when it results from violence and coercion, it ceases to be a choice and becomes a war wound. William Bahos’s work invites reflection on censored voices, imposed muteness and the marks left on bodies violently silenced, prompting us to question the right to dissent and freedom of expression enshrined in article 20 of the Constitution.