Why Tazeen Qayyum suffers joint pain for her art

We spend a lot of money on ergonomic chairs, desks that won't let us tense our necks or shoulders, and shoes that will let us get through the day without pain. So why would an artist deliberately put her body in the most uncomfortable of situations?

Oakville-based visual artist Tazeen Qayyum has a multimedia practice ranging from painting and sculpture to performance. Her work addresses questions about racial identity, cultural misperceptions, and a great hope for peace. And for her recent three-hour performance at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, she drew continuously on a canvas while lying on a very hard concrete floor.

Why? In this video, Qayyum lets us in on a bit about her practice, what this work means to her, and where she goes in her head to ignore the pain in her joints while she repeats a powerful message.

Watch Exhibitionists Sundays at 4:30pm (5 NT) on CBC.