Image Credit: Dialectics of Erasure – a lecture performance by Mudar Al-Khufash, courtesy of the artist.

In a moment where questions of visibility, power and narrative control feel increasingly urgent, Dialectics of Erasure lands with sharp precision. The work reframes settler colonialism not as distant history, but as a living system – performed daily through gestures, structures, and the subtle rules that shape who is seen and who is not. It’s a piece that doesn’t just speak about erasure; it stages its mechanics, asking audiences to recognise their place within it.

For Mudar Al-Khufash, this is both artistic and political terrain. Working across performance, research and media studies, his practice is rooted in embodiment – how systems are lived, not just understood. As he puts it: “I treat settler colonialism not as a historical event but as a performance… a set of repeated, embodied acts that structure daily life.” That thinking underpins a work that is less about observation, and more about confrontation – inviting audiences to feel, question, and locate themselves within the frame.

In this interview, Al-Khufash is in conversation with Emilia Nurmukhamet of Bold Mellon Collective, ahead of the next performance at Theatre Deli (Sat 2 May, London). Step inside the dialogue – and step into the work itself.

Emilia Nurmukhamet: To begin, could you tell us a bit about Dialectics of Erasure: Settler Colonialism in Three Acts – what the work is, and how it came into being? What did the process of making it look like for you?

Mudar Al-Khufash: Dialectics of Erasure is a participatory lecture‑performance that grew out of my research during a master’s research stay in London, supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and affiliated with the University of the Arts Berlin. The work sits at the intersection of performance studies, settler‑colonial studies, Indigenous studies, and theories of state violence. I treat settler colonialism not as a historical event but as a performance, not in the theatrical sense, but as a set of repeated, embodied acts that structure daily life, much like gender, sports, or economics can be understood as performances. My art production is rooted in this research, and I am interested in translating the insights and findings of my research through performative and multimodal methods. At its core, my research is in media studies with a particular focus on Palestine.

The project was driven by necessity. As both an artist and a scholar during the ongoing genocide, I had to confront my own role and responsibilities, especially given the privileges and opportunities I have that many Palestinians don’t. I asked myself: How can I best contribute, within my capacity and my locality? Raising awareness is one way. But I wanted more than awareness. I wanted to create a structure where audiences don’t just learn about settler colonialism but feel its mechanics, its erasures, its contradictions, its costs.

The work is structured in segments, each anchored in a theoretical concept. Throughout, I focus on the pen and writing as tools of resistance, drawing on Palestinian scholars like Refaat Alareer and artists like Naji al‑Ali, who was assassinated in London, where my research began.

Dialectics of Erasure is not a simulation. It is an enactment, a space where the audience is made to confront their own complicity, and where the simple act of appearing, wearing a color, or speaking a truth becomes a form of resistance.

Image Credit: Dialectics of Erasure – a lecture performance by Mudar Al-Khufash, courtesy of the artist.

Emilia: The piece is described as a participatory lecture-performance. How does the audience feature within the work, and what kind of role are they invited to take on?

Mudar: The audience isn’t simply there to watch, rather, they are expected to engage actively. They are split into groups, each given different instructions, and they make decisions and react to others’ actions. Instead of just hearing about settler colonialism as a concept, they are invited to embody a role. The specific actions they take and their experiences unfold gradually during the participatory segment of the performance.

Image Credit: Dialectics of Erasure – a lecture performance by Mudar Al-Khufash, courtesy of the artist.

Emilia: You’re working at the intersection of lecture and performance. What does bringing those two forms together make possible for you that a more traditional lecture – or a more conventional performance – might not?

Mudar: After all, we are all performing. Even as a lecturer, I perform. A traditional lecture can be rigid and inaccessible to broader audiences. Also, today’s world is saturated with media, and new media offer us ways to creatively share and transmit knowledge. In a highly mediated, performative world, mobilizing creative and medial tools seems more aligned with our contemporary moment.

I am also an artist with a background in social and cultural sciences. My aim is to share knowledge through my artistic intuition and method. Neither a purely academic lecture nor a typical performance alone can fully satisfy both my scholarly and artistic pursuits. Combining them enables me to do both at the same time.

Image Credit: Dialectics of Erasure – a lecture performance by Mudar Al-Khufash, courtesy of the artist.

Emilia: Thinking ahead, how do you see the work evolving over time? What do you envision for its future, and what do you hope audiences carry with them after experiencing it?

Mudar: I see Dialectics of Erasure as a flexible framework rather than a rigid script. I designed it to be adaptable to various locations, political contexts, and audiences. The core mechanisms can be reconfigured to other settings where settler colonialism exists or has influence. I anticipate future versions of this project in different cities, addressing diverse forms of erasure.

What do I want audiences to take away? Not facts or arguments, but an awareness of their roles within settler colonial systems. I also want them to realize that resistance isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about the persistent acts of appearing, speaking, and refusing to disappear. If they leave with that understanding, I believe the work has been done well.

Find Mudar Al-Khufash at mudaralkhufash.xyz and @dialecticsoferasure

Find Emilia Nurmukhamet at boldmelloncollective.com and @em_talgat

Dialectics of Erasure
Friday 1 May & Saturday 2 May, 7pm
Theatre Deli
107 Leadenhall Street,
Next Door Space,
London EC3A 4AF

Tickets and info: outsavvy.com