Akram Khan and Georges Didi-Huberman: open(ed) body-image. Between resistance and existence

Abstract

This text seeks to reread the dance of choreographer Akram Khan from the perspective of Georges Didi-Huberman. Following the art historian’s approach, the image will be understood not as a mere visual support, but as a gesture, as an action. To do this, it is essential to return to his stance towards uprisings and the concept of "open image" coined in his book L’image ouverte. Didi-Huberman argues that the image opens and closes, just like our bodies in front of them as we observe them. For him, there is no image without its gesture of openness, since to open is to unveil.  The work of Akram Khan with which I will engage in dialogue, denounces the exploitation of Indian soldiers who fought alongside British troops during the First World War, in other words, it dances an uprising. Therefore, how can we think of the body as an open image? How can we immerse ourselves in those bodies that revolt and rebel?