Shivers, Ra’sh, BIMBO ZYGOTE, Gore Dealer Baby and NOT Laila! These are just a few of the names of the characters and alter egos that populate the artistic universe of Sarjon Azouz (1996). Azouz works with performance, video, installation and writing. His practice often engages with political and social themes such as identity and war, rendered tangible through characters inspired by drag culture.
At Prospects, the character Al-Shaheen Falcon takes centre stage. This figure, half falcon and half human, stands before a banner and salutes. The banner bears the words: ‘Dat verklaar en beloof ik’ (‘I declare and promise’). Like many young Syrian men, this character fled Syria ten years ago to evade compulsory military service. In the Netherlands, this man-bird found a new home and was recently granted citizenship.
During the naturalization ceremony, Al-Shaheen Falcon spoke the words ‘I declare and promise’, thereby pledging allegiance to the Netherlands. For him, however, this declaration carries an uneasy charge, Various sources indicate that the Dutch government has been involved in the war in Syria since 2015, including airstrikes that resulted in civilian casualties and financial support amounting to millions of euros that may have reached terrorist groups. What does it mean to swear allegiance to a country that offers you a new home, yet is also implicated in the circumstances that forced you to flee? And what responsibility does Al-Shaheen Falcon now bear, as a Dutch citizen, for the involvement of his new country? These are questions Sarjon Azouz raises with his installation and performance Dat verklaar en beloof ik (2025).
Text: Sarah van Binsbergen